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2001
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vol. 48
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issue 3
611-614
EN
The enzyme 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylase II (AlkA) is a bacterial repair enzyme that acts preferentially at 3-methyladenine residues in DNA, releasing the damaged base. The resulting baseless sugars are alkali-labile, and under the conditions of the alkaline comet assay (single cell gel electrophoresis) they appear as DNA strand breaks. AlkA is not lesion-specific, but has a low activity even with undamaged bases. We have tested the enzyme at different concentrations to find conditions that maximise detection of alkylated bases with minimal attack on normal, undamaged DNA. AlkA detects damage in the DNA of cells treated with low concentrations of methyl methanesulphonate. We also find low background levels of alkylated bases in normal human lymphocytes.Single cell gel electrophoresis (the comet assay) is widely used for the detection of strand breaks in nuclear DNA. It is particularly appropriate for studying the low background levels of damage present in normal human cells, such as peripheral lymphocytes. The cells are embedded in agarose on a microscope slide and lysed with Triton X-100 and 2.5 M NaCl, which remove cytoplasm and most nuclear proteins, but leave the DNA, in supercoiled form, as nucleoids. After incubation in alkali, the DNA is electrophoresed at high pH; DNA is drawn out to form a 'tail' (hence the name 'comet assay') - but only if breaks are present to relax the supercoiling of the nucleoid DNA. In order to increase its sensitivity and selectivity, we have incorporated into the assay an extra step in which the nucleoid DNA is digested with a lesion-specific endonuclease; the additional breaks revealed with this procedure indicate the presence of the particular lesion. So far, endonuclease III (NTH, specific for oxidised pyrimidines) (Collins et al., 1993), formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (FPG, acting on ring-opened purines and the major purine oxidation produce, 8-oxoguanine) (Dušinská & Collins, 1996) and T4 endonuclease V (recognising UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers) (Collins et al., 1997b) have been successfully employed. Amongst other things, we have estimated background levels of DNA oxidation (Collins et al., 1997a), and have found this damage to be elevated in human diseases such as diabetes and ankylosing spondylitis (Dušinská et al., 1999).We now report the use of AlkA, a bacterial repair enzyme whose main substrate is 3-methyladenine in DNA, though it also recognises - with lower efficiency - other modified bases (Lindahl, 1993). A recent report (Berdal et al., 1998) suggests that repair enzymes supposedly specific for alkylated bases may in fact create breaks non-selectively (though much less efficiently) at normal bases. Given the size of the genome, even a low efficiency of non-specific breakage could significantly interfere in estimations of background levels of alkylation damage. We reasoned that, by employing a range of concentrations of the enzyme, and carrying out incubations for different lengths of time, we might find a concentration at which only the alkylated bases would be detected, so that the number of breaks would increase to a certain level and then plateau. After optimising reaction conditions, we tested the assay on lymphocytes from different individuals, and also, as a positive control, examined alkylation damage induced by methyl methanesulphonate.
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2005
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vol. 52
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issue 2
535-539
EN
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the differences in plasma 17β-estradiol concentration in early and late follicular phases of the menstrual cycle can affect the level of endogenous DNA damage in lymphocytes assessed by comet assay, and whether the extent of this damage in the follicular phase is associated with the genotype of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). The level of DNA damage was positively correlated with 17β-estradiol concentration only in the late follicular phase. Subjects with the COMT L/L homozygous mutated variant revealed more DNA damage as compared to individuals with the COMT wild-type and heterozygous (H/L+HH) genotype.
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2003
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vol. 50
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issue 1
211-215
EN
Labile iron pool (LIP) constitutes a crossroad of metabolic pathways of iron-containing compounds and is midway between the cellular need for iron, its uptake and storage. In this study we investigated oxidative DNA damage in relation to the labile iron pool in a pair of mouse lymphoma L5178Y (LY) sublines (LY-R and LY-S) differing in sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide. The LY-R cells, which are hydrogen peroxide-sensitive, contain 3 times more labile iron than the hydrogen peroxide-resistant LY-S cells. Using the comet assay, we compared total DNA breakage in the studied cell lines treated with hydrogen peroxide (25 μM for 30 min at 4°C). More DNA damage was found in LY-R cells than in LY-S cells. We also compared the levels of DNA lesions sensitive to specific DNA repair enzymes in both cell lines treated with H2O2. The levels of endonuclease III-sensitive sites and Fapy-DNA glycosylase-sensitive sites were found to be higher in LY-R cells than in LY-S cells. Our data suggest that the sensitivity of LY-R cells to H2O2 is partially caused by the higher yield of oxidative DNA damage, as compared to that in LY-S cells. The critical factor appears to be the availability of transition metal ions that take part in the OH radical-generating Fenton reaction (very likely in the form of LIP).
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2014
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vol. 61
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issue 1
7-11
EN
There is increasing evidence for the existence of an association between the presence of etoposide phenoxyl radicals and the development of treatment-related acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML), which occurs in a few percent of patients treated with this chemotherapeutic agent. The most common side effect caused by etoposide is myelosuppression, which limits the use of this effective drug. The goal of the study was to investigate the influence of antioxidant querectin on myelosuppression and oxidative DNA damage caused by etoposide. The influence of quercetin and/or etoposide on oxidative DNA damage was investigated in LT-12 cell line and bone marrow cells of rats via comet assay. The effect of quercetin on myelosuppression induced by etoposide was invetsigated by cytological analysis of bone marrow smears stained with May-Grünwald-Giemsa stain. Etoposide caused a significant increase in oxidative DNA damage in bone marrow cells and LT-12 cell line in comparison to the appropriate controls. Quercetin significantly reduced the oxidative DNA damage caused by etoposide both in vitro and in vivo. Quercetin also significantly protected against a decrease in the percentage of myeloid precursors and erythroid nucleated cells caused by etoposide administration in comparison to the group treated with etoposide alone. The results of the study indicate that quercetin could be considered a protectively acting compound in bone marrow cells during etoposide therapy.
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2007
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vol. 54
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issue 2
273-280
EN
The in vivo and in vitro effects of UV-C (254 nm) exposure (0.039 watt · m-2 · s for 2 h) of currant tomato (Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium), indigenous to Peru and Ecuador, were assayed. H2O2 deposits, dead cells and DNA damage were localized, 12/24 h after irradiation, mainly in periveinal parenchyma of the 1st and 2nd order veins of the leaves, and before the appearance of visible symptoms, which occurred 48 h after irradiation. Cell death index was of 43.5 ± 12% in exposed leaf tissues, 24 h after treatment. In currant tomato protoplasts, the percentage of viable cells dropped 1 h after UV-C irradiation from 97.42 ± 2.1% to 43.38 ± 4.2%. Afterwards, the protoplast viability progressively decreased to 40.16 ± 7.25% at 2 h, to 38.31 ± 6.9% at 4 h, and to 36.46 ± 1.84% at 6 h after the exposure. The genotoxic impact of UV-C radiation on protoplasts was assessed with single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE, or comet assay). UV-C treatment greatly enhanced DNA migration, with 75.37 ± 3.7% of DNA in the tail versus 7.88 ± 5.5% in the case of untreated nuclei. Oxidative stress by H2O2 used as a positive control, induced a similar damage on non-irradiated protoplasts, with 71.59 ± 5.5% of DNA in the tail, whereas oxidative stress imposed on UV-C irradiated protoplasts slightly increased the DNA damage (85.13 ± 4.1%). According to these results, SCGE of protoplasts could be an alternative to nuclei extraction directly from leaf tissues.
EN
The TEL/JAK2 chromosomal translocation (t(9;12)(p24;p13)) is associated with T cell childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The TEL/JAK2 fusion protein contains the JAK2 catalytic domain and the TEL-specific oligomerization domain. TEL-mediated oligomerization of the TEL/JAK2 proteins results in the constitutive activation of the tyrosine kinase activity. Leukemia cells expressing TEL/JAK2 tyrosine kinase become resistant to anti-neoplastic drugs. Amifostine is a pro-drug which can selectively protect normal tissues against the toxicity of anticancer drugs and radiation. investigated the effects of amifostine on idarubicin-induced DNA damage and repair in murine pro-B lymphoid BaF3 cells and BaF3-TEL/JAK2-transformed cells using alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay). Idarubicin induced DNA damage in both cell types but amifostine reduced its extent in control non-transformed BaF3 cells and enhanced it in TEL/JAK2-transformed cells. The transformed cells did not show measurable DNA repair after exposure to amifostine and idarubicin, but cells treated only with idarubicin were able to recover within a 60-min incubation. Because TEL/JAK2-transformed cells can be considered as model cells for certain human leukemias and lymphomas we anticipate an enhancement of idarubicin cytotoxicity by amifostine in these diseases. Moreover, TEL/JAK2 tyrosine kinase might be involved in cellular response to DNA damage. Amifostine could promote apoptosis or lower the threshold for apoptosis induction dependent on TEL/JAK2 activation.
EN
A population study is reported in which the DNA damage induced by γ-radiation (2 Gy) and the kinetics of the subsequent repair were estimated by the comet and micronucleus assays in isolated lymphocytes of 82 healthy donors and patients with head and neck cancer before radiotherapy. The parameters of background and radiation-induced DNA damage, rate of repair, and residual non-repaired damage were measured by comet assay, and the repair kinetics for every donor were computer-fitted to an exponential curve. The level of background DNA damage before irradiation measured by comet assay as well as the level of micronuclei were significantly higher in the head and neck cancer patient group than in the healthy donors, while the parameters of repair were widely scattered in both groups. Cancer patient group contained significantly more individuals, whose irradiated lymphocytes showed high DNA damage, low repair rate and high non-repaired DNA damage level. Lymphocytes of donors belonging to this subgroup showed significantly lower inhibition of cell cycle after irradiation.
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2002
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vol. 49
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issue 1
145-155
EN
Idarubicin is an anthracycline antibiotic used in cancer therapy. Mitoxantrone is an anthracycline analog with presumed better antineoplastic activity and lesser toxicity. Using the alkaline comet assay we showed that the drugs at 0.01-10 μM induced DNA damage in normal human lymphocytes. The effect induced by idarubicin was more pronounced than by mitoxantrone (P < 0.001). The cells treated with mitoxantrone at 1 μM were able to repair damage to their DNA within a 30-min incubation, whereas the lymphocytes exposed to idarubicin needed 180 min. Since anthracyclines are known to produce free radicals, we checked whether reactive oxygen species might be involved in the observed DNA damage. Catalase, an enzyme inactivating hydrogen peroxide, decreased the extent of DNA damage induced by idarubicin, but did not affect the extent evoked by mitoxantrone. Lymphocytes exposed to the drugs and treated with endonuclease III or formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (Fpg), enzymes recognizing and nicking oxidized bases, displayed a higher level of DNA damage than the untreated ones. 3-Methyladenine-DNA glycosylase II (AlkA), an enzyme recognizing and nicking mainly methylated bases in DNA, increased the extent of DNA damage caused by idarubicin, but not that induced by mitoxantrone. Our results indicate that the induction of secondary malignancies should be taken into account as side effects of the two drugs. Direct strand breaks, oxidation and methylation of the DNA bases can underlie the DNA-damaging effect of idarubicin, whereas mitoxantrone can induce strand breaks and modification of the bases, including oxidation. The observed in normal lymphocytes much lesser genotoxicity of mitoxantrone compared to idarubicin should be taken into account in planning chemotherapeutic strategies.
EN
The aim of this study was to find correlations between folate and vitamin B12 on baseline damage in white blood cells and their association with smoking, alcohol consumption and ageing. Thirty-six healthy vitamin non-deficient male subjects were selected in a randomized study. Comet assay (SCGE) and micronucleus (MN) assay were used as biomarkers of DNA damage. The amount of DNA damage was correlated with vitamin B12 and folic acid concentration. Positive, but non-significant correlation (canonical R = 0.61; χ2=28.97; P=0.253) was found between micronucleus (MN) frequency or comet assay parameters (SCGE) and five covariates (age, smoking, alcohol consumption, vitamin B12 and folate blood serum concentration). The highest MN frequency was observed in the group with the lowest vitamin B12 concentration (F=3.59; P=0.024). The SCGE assay failed to show significant correlation with vitamin B12 or folic acid concentration. Concentration of vitamin B12 was significantly correlated with incidence of micronuclei. Our results present background data that could be valuable for future genotoxicological monitoring.
EN
We report a case of a testicular seminoma patient with relapse who was irradiated after acute cerebral infarction induced by cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Lymphocytic genome instability was studied using an alkaline comet assay, analysis of structural chromosome aberrations, and cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay in blood samples collected before and after PET CT scanning that preceded radiotherapy, as well as before the administration of the first and after the administration of the last fraction of 3D conformal radiation. A challengetest with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was performed on isolated peripheral blood lymphocytes in order to establish to what extent earlier therapies had modified the response of the patient’s DNA to external stimuli with a genotoxic chemical. Levels of primary DNA damage in lymphocytes increased after diagnostic exposure, lowered prior to administration of a conformal 3D radiotherapy, and were the highest at the end of radiotherapy. Ex vivo exposure to H2O2 caused additional lymphocyte DNA damage, which gradually increased 15 and 30 minutes after treatment. Diagnostic and therapeutic exposure to radiation caused measurable cytogenetic damage that was subjected to extensive repair. All of the obtained results point to increased genomic instability in the patient which should be taken into account in his future medical surveillance.
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2001
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vol. 48
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issue 1
233-240
EN
Genotoxicity of anticancer drugs is of a special interest due to the risk of inducing secondary malignancies. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a recognized antioxidant and, since human diet can be easily supplemented with vitamin C, it seems reasonable to check whether it can protect against DNA-damaging effects of antitumor drugs. In the present work the ability of vitamin C to modulate cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of a cisplatin analog, conjugate (NH3)2Pt(SeO3), in terms of cell viability, DNA damage and repair in human lymphocytes was examined using the trypan blue exclusion test and the alkaline comet assay, respectively. The conjugate evoked a concentration-dependent decrease in the cell viability, reaching nearly 50% at 250 μM. (NH3)2Pt(SeO3) at 1, 10 and 30 μM caused DNA strand breaks, measured as the increase in the comet tail moment of the lymphocytes. The treated cells were able to recover within a 30-min incubation in a drug-free medium at 37°C. Vitamin C at 10 and 50 μM diminished the extent of DNA damage evoked by (NH3)2Pt(SeO3) but had no effect on the kinetics of DNA repair. The vitamin did not directly inactivate the conjugate. Lymphocytes treated with endonuclease III, which recognises oxidised pyrimidines, displayed a greater tail moment than those untreated with the enzyme, suggesting that the damages induced by the drug have, at least in part, an oxidative origin. Vitamin C can be considered a potential protective agent against side effects of antitumor drugs, but further research with both normal and cancer cells are needed to clarify this point.
EN
Sirtuins (type III histone deacetylases) are an important member of a group of enzymes that modify chromatin conformation. We investigated the role of sirtuin inhibitor, GPI 19015, in double strand break (DSB) repair in CHO-K1 wt and xrs-6 mutant cells. The latter is defective in DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK)-mediated non-homologous end-joining (D-NHEJ). DSB were estimated by the neutral comet assay and histone γH2AX foci formation. We observed a weaker effect of GPI 19015 treatment on the repair kinetics in CHO wt cells than in xrs6. In the latter cells the increase in DNA repair rate was most pronounced in G1 phase and practically absent in S and G2 cell cycle phases. The decrease in the number of histone γH2AX foci was faster in xrs6 than in CHO-K1 cells. The altered repair rate did not affect survival of X-irradiated cells. Since in G1 xrs6 cells DNA-PK-dependent non-homologous end-joining, D-NHEJ, does not operate, these results indicate that inhibition of sirtuins modulates DNA-PK-independent (backup) non-homologous end-joining, B-NHEJ, to a greater extent than the other DSB repair system, D-NHEJ.
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2003
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vol. 50
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issue 1
205-210
EN
Alloxan can generate diabetes in experimental animals and its action can be associated with the production of free radicals. It is therefore important to check how different substances often referred to as free radical scavengers may interact with alloxan, especially that some of these substance may show both pro- and antioxidant activities. Using the alkaline comet assay we showed that alloxan at concentrations 0.01-50 μM induced DNA damage in normal human lymphocytes in a dose-dependent manner. Treated cells were able to recover within a 120-min incubation. Vitamins C and E at 10 and 50 μM diminished the extent of DNA damage induced by 50 μM alloxan. Pre-treatment of the lymphocytes with a nitrone spin trap, α-(4-pyridil-1-oxide)- N-t-butylnitrone (POBN) or ebselen (2-phenyl-1,2-benzisoselenazol-3(2H)-one), which mimics glutathione peroxides, reduced the alloxan-evoked DNA damage. The cells exposed to alloxan and treated with formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (Fpg) and 3-methyladenine-DNA glycosylase II (AlkA), enzymes recognizing oxidized and alkylated bases, respectively, displayed greater extent of DNA damage than those not treated with these enzymes. The results confirmed that free radicals are involved in the formation of DNA lesions induced by alloxan. The results also suggest that alloxan can generate oxidized DNA bases with a preference for purines and contribute to their alkylation.
EN
This study aimed to evaluate the antidotal potency of tenocyclidine (TCP) that probably might protect acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the case of organophosphate poisoning. TCP was tested alone as a pretreatment or in combination with atropine as a therapy in rats poisoned with ¼ and ½ of LD50 of soman. Possible genotoxic effects of TCP in white blood cells and brain tissue were also studied. Results were compared with previous findings on the adamantyl tenocyclidine derivative TAMORF. TCP given alone as pretreatment, 5 min before soman, seems to be superior in the protection of cholinesterase (ChE) catalytic activity in the plasma than in brain, especially after administration of the lower dose of soman. Plasma activities of the enzyme after a joint treatment with TCP and soman were significantly increased at 30 min (P < 0.001) and 24 h (P = 0.0043), as compared to soman alone. TCP and atropine, given as therapy, were more effective than TCP administered alone as a pretreatment. The above therapy significantly increased activities of the enzyme at 30 min (P = 0.046) and 24 h (P < 0.001), as compared to controls treated with ¼ LD50 of soman alone. Using the alkaline comet assay, acceptable genotoxicity of TCP was observed. However, the controversial role of TCP in brain protection of soman-poisoned rats should be studied further.
EN
The function of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is the rapid hydrolysis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh), which is involved in the numerous cholinergic pathways in both the central and the peripheral nervous system. Therefore, AChE measurement is of high value for therapy management, especially during the course of intoxication with different chemicals or drugs that inhibit the enzyme. Pyridinium or bispyridinium aldoximes (oximes) are able to recover the activity of the inhibited enzyme. Since their adverse effects are not well elucidated, in this study the efficiency of HI-6 oxime in protection and/or reactivation of human erythrocyte AChE inhibited by the antineoplastic drug irinotecan as well as its cyto/genotoxicity in vitro were investigated. HI-6 was effective in protection of AChE and increased its activity up to 30%; the residual activity after irinotecan inhibition was 7%. Also, it reactivated the enzyme previously inhibited by 50% irinotecan (4.6 µg/ml) applied at ¼ of the IC50 value. The tested concentrations of HI-6 exhibited acceptable genotoxicity towards white blood cells, as estimated by the alkaline comet assay, DNA diffusion assay and cytogenetic endpoints (structural chromosome aberrations and cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay). The results obtained warrant the further investigation of HI-6 in vivo, as well as its development for possible application in chemotherapy.
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