DNA damage in children and adolescents with cardiovascular disease risk factors

Abstract

The risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) is related to lifestyle (e.g. diet, physical activity and smoking) as well as to genetic factors. This study aimed at evaluating the association between CVD risk factors and DNA damage levels in children and adolescents. Anthropometry, diet and serum CVD risk factors were evaluated by standard procedures. DNA damage levels were accessed by the comet assay (Single cell gel electrophoresis; SCGE) and cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus (CBMN) assays in leukocytes. A total of 34 children and adolescents selected from a population sample were divided into three groups according to their level of CVD risk. Moderate and high CVD risk subjects showed significantly higher body fat and serum CVD risk markers than low risk subjects (P<0.05). High risk subjects also showed a significant increase in DNA damage, which was higher than that provided by low and moderate risk subjects according to SCGE, but not according to the CBMN assay. Vitamin C intake was inversely correlated with DNA damage by SCGE, and micronucleus (MN) was inversely correlated with folate intake. The present results indicate an increase in DNA damage that may be a consequence of oxidative stress in young individuals with risk factors for CVD, indicating that the DNA damage level can aid in evaluating the risk of CVD.

Epigenetic Regulation of Centromere Chromatin Stability by Dietary and Environmental Factors

“…Similar scenarios have also been observed for deficiencies in vitamin B-12, riboflavin, vitamin A, and minerals such as calcium and zinc (99). Conversely, supplementation with folic acid (97, 100-108), riboflavin, pantothenic acid, biotin (4), cobalamin (93,103), vitamin C (109)(110)(111)(112)(113)(114)(115), vitamin E (114), and vitamin A and its derivatives (107,112) was associated with decreased genotoxic damage and micronucleus reduction (4). Much research has been conducted to show the effects of folic acid supplementation and folate status on reduced micronucleus frequency.…”

Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development—Folate Review

“…Micronuclei have the same morphologic features as normal nuclei with the exception that they are much smaller, usually one-third to one-sixteenth in diameter. Crosssectional studies have shown that micronuclei in lymphocytes or in erythrocytes are inversely associated with dietary folate intake and/or RBC folate and positively with plasma homocysteine (132,(278)(279)(280)(281)(282)(283)(284)(285). Four intervention studies (284)(285)(286)(287) reported on the effect of folic acid supplementation on micronuclei in lymphocytes, 3 of which showed a significant reduction in micronuclei frequency.…”

Comet assay and its use for evaluating oxidative DNA damage in some pathological states

“…Their results show that after 14 days of exposure of HUVEC to intermittent high (20 mM) and normal (5 mM) glucose levels, there was a 2-fold increase in 8-oxoG levels compared to constant exposure to high glucose (Quagliaro et al 2005). Kliemann et al (2012) evaluated the association between the risk of developing CVD and DNA damage levels in children and adolescents. DNA damage levels were assessed by the comet assay.…”

“…The findings suggest that, compared to those with low CVD risk, high CVD risk children and adolescents have the highest levels of primary DNA damage, but they did not differ in terms of permanent DNA damage. CVD risk factors such as adiposity, hypertension, total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides correlated with primary DNA damage level (Kliemann et al 2012). The link between angiotensin II (Ang II), which is crucial in regulating of the cardiovascular system, and DNA oxidation, has been investigated by Mazza et al (2003).…”