title: Age-dependent oxidative stress-induced DNA damage in Down's lymphocytes.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate the oxidative status of lymphocytes from children (n=7) and adults (n=18) with Down's syndrome (DS). The basal oxidative condition, the vulnerability to in vitro hydrogen peroxide exposure, and the repair capacity were measured by means of the damage-specific alkaline comet assay. Significantly and age-independently elevated numbers of single strand breaks and oxidized bases (pyrimidines and purines) were found in the nuclear DNA of the lymphocytes in the DS group in the basal condition. These results may support the role of an increased level of endogenous oxidative stress in DS and are similar to those previously demonstrated in Alzheimer's disease. In the in vitro oxidative stress-induced state, a markedly higher extent of DNA damage was observed in DS children as compared with age- and gender-matched healthy controls, suggesting that young trisomic lymphocytes are more sensitive to oxidative stress than normal ones. However, the repair ability itself was not found to be deteriorated in either DS children or DS adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Center for Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Szeged, 6 Semmelweis St., Szeged, H-6725, Hungary. mzana@freemail.hu
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zana
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szécsényi
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Czibula
authors.forename: Annamária
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bjelik
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Juhász
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rimanóczy
authors.forename: Krisztina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Szabó
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vetró
authors.forename: Péter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Szucs
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Várkonyi
authors.forename: Magdolna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pákáski
authors.forename: Krisztina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Boda
authors.forename: István
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Raskó
authors.forename: Zoltán
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Janka
authors.forename: János
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kálmán
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D020552:Comet Assay; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress