title: Dopamine and uric acid act as antioxidants in the repair of DNA radicals: implications in Parkinson's disease.
abstract: Dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) have been found to undergo a protective reaction effecting the fast chemical repair of oxidative free-radical damage to DNA. This antioxidant reaction does not occur with normal concentrations of other, more abundant, antioxidants and our findings suggest that DA and UA are important for the preservation of the DNA in certain brains cells per se. These studies point to the need for drugs that undergo a similar antioxidant reaction with DNA radicals to prevent or arrest DNA damage associated with Parkinson's disease when the levels of DA and UA fall.
authors.affiliation: Department of Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1, New Zealand. r.anderson@auckland.ac.nz
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Tracy A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000528:radiation effects; D004249:DNA Damage; D004260:DNA Repair; D004298:Dopamine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005609:Free Radicals; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D008956:Models, Chemical; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000378:metabolism*; D010957:Plasmids / Q000378:metabolism; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D005609:Free Radicals; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D014527:Uric Acid; D004247:DNA; D010100:Oxygen; D004298:Dopamine