Relationships between perceived workload, stress and oxidative DNA damage.
OBJECTIVE
The present study was performed to investigate the relationship between work-related factors, including psychological stress, and the formation of a type of oxidative DNA damage, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG), in order to examine their possible risk factor for occupational carcinogenesis.


METHODS
A total of 54 healthy workers (27 male and 27 female, aged 41.2 +/- 12.5 years) in a company were investigated for 8-OH-dG levels in the peripheral blood leukocytes at the time of a questionnaire survey regarding several factors, such as working hours, workload, fatigue, sleep, psychological stress and the prospect of alleviating it. Subjects were limited to non-smoking and non-drinking workers to exclude the influence of cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking, which have been reported to have associations with the formation of 8-OH-dG.


RESULTS
The levels of 8-OH-dG in female subjects were significantly related to the perceived workload (F = 5.56, P = 0.010), the perceived psychological stress (F = 6.15, P = 0.007), and the impossibility of alleviating stress (F = 3.82, P = 0.048). No associations were observed in male subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Psychological stress and perceived over-work appear to be related to the pathogenesis of cancer via the formation of 8-OH-dG, particularly in female workers.
Irie
M
M
Department of Mental Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan. m-irie@med.uoeh-u.ac.jp
Asami
S
S
Nagata
S
S
Miyata
M
M
Kasai
H
H
D000080242:8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015415:Biomarkers; D004249:DNA Damage; D003849:Deoxyguanosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D012306:Risk; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016526:Workload
D015415:Biomarkers; D000080242:8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine; D003849:Deoxyguanosine