title: Differences in DNA-damage in non-smoking men and women exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS).
abstract: There is much data implicating environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in the development and progression of disease, notably cancer, yet the mechanisms for this remain unclear. As ETS is both a pro-oxidant stressor and carcinogen, we investigated the relationship of ETS exposure to intracellular and serum levels of DNA-damage, both oxidative 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8OHdG) and general, in non-smokers from non-smoking households, occupationally exposed to ETS. General DNA-damage consisting of single and double strand breaks, alkali-labile sites and incomplete base-excision repair, increased significantly in a dose-dependent manner with ETS exposure in men (P=0.015, n=32, Pearson) but not women (P=0.736, n=17). Intracellular 8OHdG-DNA-damage and general DNA-damage were both greater in men than women (P=0.0005 and 0.016, respectively) but 8OHdG serum levels did not differ between the genders. Neither 8OHdG-DNA-damage nor serum levels correlated with increasing ETS exposure. This is the first study to demonstrate dose-dependent increases in DNA-damage from workplace ETS exposure. Perhaps most interesting was that despite equivalent ETS exposure, significantly greater DNA-damage occurred in men than women. These data may begin to provide a mechanistic rationale for the generally higher incidence of some diseases in males due to tobacco smoke and/or other genotoxic stressors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, University of Nevada, 1664N Virginia/MS 142, Reno, NV 89557, USA.
authors.forename: Abby C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Collier
authors.forename: Sachin D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Dandge
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Woodrow
authors.forename: Chris A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Pritsos
mesh_terms: D000080242:8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine; D000328:Adult; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003367:Cotinine / Q000097:blood; D004247:DNA / Q000187:drug effects*; D004249:DNA Damage; D003849:Deoxyguanosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D012737:Sex Factors; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D000080242:8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine; D004247:DNA; D003849:Deoxyguanosine; D003367:Cotinine