title: Effects of smoking and aging on oxidative DNA damage of human lymphocytes.
abstract: The effects of H2O2-induced oxidative DNA damage in 80 healthy individuals with relation to age (20-25 and 55-60 years old) and smoking has been investigated with the comet assay technique. Both factors have shown a significant effect upon basal DNA damage with smoking appearing to have the most impact. A differentiation of the four groups response to induced oxidative damage was also observed. A distinctly separate behavior of the younger non-smokers group, when compared with the rest of the categories, was found. This is attributed to the lower degree of initial basal damage that occurs in their lymphocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos, Aghia Paraskevi, Athens, Greece. piper@cyclades.nrcps.ariadne-t.gr
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Piperakis
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Visvardis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sagnou
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tassiou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics*; D004249:DNA Damage; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D012907:Smoking / Q000235:genetics*