Ethanol and acetaldehyde impair the repair of bleomycin-damaged DNA in human lymphocytes.
Alcohol intake may be associated with various diseases including cancer. Defective DNA repair may underline neoplastic transformation, so it is reasonable to investigate the potential influence of ethanol on this process. In the present work the repair of DNA damaged by an antitumour drug bleomycin in human lymphocytes in the presence of ethanol or its main metabolite, acetaldehyde, was investiagted using single cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay). The cells were incubated with bleomycin at 1.5 or 5 microg/ml for 60 min at 37 degrees C, washed and suspended in a bleomycin-free medium containing ethanol at 10 or 30 mM or acetaldehyde at 1 or 3 mM. Ethanol at 30 mM and acetaldehyde inhibited the repair of DNA exposed to bleomycin at 5 microg/ml. These results suggest that ethanol and acetaldehyde may influence the repair of carcinogen-damaged DNA and thus contribute to cancer.
Błasiak
J
J
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Lódź, Poland.
D000079:Acetaldehyde / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000009:adverse effects; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000009:adverse effects; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000139:chemically induced; D020552:Comet Assay; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D001761:Bleomycin; D000431:Ethanol; D000079:Acetaldehyde