title: Free radical scavengers can modulate the DNA-damaging action of alloxan.
abstract: Alloxan can generate diabetes in experimental animals and its action can be associated with the production of free radicals. It is therefore important to check how different substances often referred to as free radical scavengers may interact with alloxan, especially that some of these substance may show both pro- and antioxidant activities. Using the alkaline comet assay we showed that alloxan at concentrations 0.01-50 microM induced DNA damage in normal human lymphocytes in a dose-dependent manner. Treated cells were able to recover within a 120-min incubation. Vitamins C and E at 10 and 50 microM diminished the extent of DNA damage induced by 50 microM alloxan. Pre-treatment of the lymphocytes with a nitrone spin trap, alpha-(4-pyridil-1-oxide)- N-t-butylnitrone (POBN) or ebselen (2-phenyl-1,2-benzisoselenazol-3(2H)-one), which mimics glutathione peroxides, reduced the alloxan-evoked DNA damage. The cells exposed to alloxan and treated with formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (Fpg) and 3-methyladenine-DNA glycosylase II (AlkA), enzymes recognizing oxidized and alkylated bases, respectively, displayed greater extent of DNA damage than those not treated with these enzymes. The results confirmed that free radicals are involved in the formation of DNA lesions induced by alloxan. The results also suggest that alloxan can generate oxidized DNA bases with a preference for purines and contribute to their alkylation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland. januszb@biol.uni.lodz.pl
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blasiak
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sikora
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Czechowska
authors.forename: Józef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Drzewoski
mesh_terms: D000496:Alloxan / Q000633:toxicity*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D020552:Comet Assay; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects*; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D000496:Alloxan