Lower serum levels of beta-carotene in Lithuanian men are accompanied by higher urinary excretion of the oxidative DNA adduct, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine. The LiVicordia study.
OBJECTIVE
In 1995, middle-aged Lithuanian men had a four-fold higher risk than Swedish men of dying from coronary heart disease. The cross-sectional LiVicordia study had reported significantly lower levels of the lipid-soluble antioxidants lycopene, beta-carotene, and gamma-tocopherol among Lithuanian men than among Swedish men. We examined whether there were differences in urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8OHdG), a marker of oxidative stress, between these groups of men.


METHODS
Using automated coupled column high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection, we examined 50-y-old men randomly sampled from Linköping, Sweden (n = 99) and Vilnius, Lithuania (n = 109) with regard to urinary concentrations of 8-OHdG.


RESULTS
Levels of 8-OHdG were higher in the Lithuanian men than in the Swedish men (20.9 +/- 0.91 versus 14.9 +/- 0.75 nM/L, P < 0.001), and this difference was evident in smokers (P < 0.01) and non-smokers (P < 0.001). Serum levels of alpha- and beta-carotene were inversely correlated to urinary 8-OHdG levels (P < 0.05 in both cases). Habitual smoking and low levels of beta-carotene contributed significantly to higher oxidative DNA damage expressed as urinary 8-OHdG.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings indicate that increased urinary 8-OHdG levels accompany lower serum levels of antioxidants in Lithuanian men. They supported previous suggestions that increased oxidative stress may be one factor behind the higher mortality in Lithuanian men.
Kristenson
Margareta
M
Department of Health and Society, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. margareta.kristenson@lio.se
Kucinskiené
Zita
Z
Schäfer-Elinder
Liselotte
L
Leanderson
Per
P
Tagesson
Christer
C
D000080242:8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018736:DNA Adducts / Q000652:urine*; D004249:DNA Damage; D003849:Deoxyguanosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D008097:Lithuania / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D011897:Random Allocation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000097:blood*
D000975:Antioxidants; D015415:Biomarkers; D018736:DNA Adducts; D019207:beta Carotene; D000080242:8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine; D003849:Deoxyguanosine