title: Vulnerability to DNA damage in the aging rat substantia nigra: a study with the comet assay.
abstract: Oxidative DNA damage was measured in the substantia nigra (SN), cortex, hippocampus, striatum and hypothalamus of 3- and 24-month-old rats, using single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE, 'comet' assay) which allows the detection of DNA breaks and oxidized bases. A significant increase in basal DNA damage was selectively found in the SN of aged rats. FPG-sensitive oxidative DNA damage was also significantly increased in the SN of aged rats and, to a lesser extent, in the cortex and hypothalamus. These data show a higher vulnerability of SN to oxidative damage with aging and indicate that the detection of DNA damage within discrete brain nuclei can provide a reliable tool for investigating oxidative damage in neurodegenerative processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Giovannelli
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Decorosi
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dolara
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pulvirenti
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D020552:Comet Assay; D004249:DNA Damage; D043382:DNA-Formamidopyrimidine Glycosylase; D008297:Male; D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases; D043382:DNA-Formamidopyrimidine Glycosylase