Is there a similarity between DNA damage in adults with chronic alcoholism and community-dwelling healthy older adults?
OBJECTIVE
Daily alcohol consumption and ageing have been linked with DNA damage, leading to the hypothesis that chronic alcoholism causes DNA damage similar to that which occurs with ageing. Likewise, it has been suggested that chronic alcoholism is the cause of accelerated or premature ageing. The objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency and magnitude of DNA damage among adults with chronic alcoholism and healthy older adults residing in Mexico City.


METHODS
A cross-sectional and comparative study was carried out in a sample of 53 chronic alcoholics of 25-44 years of age (without alcohol ingestion in the past 30 days) without additional diseases, 26 healthy subjects >or=60 years of age, and 25 healthy adults of 25-44 years of age without alcohol addiction, all residents of Mexico City during the past 10 years. DNA damage was evaluated by single-cell gel electrophoresis technique (Comet assay).


RESULTS
Our results showed a similar percentage of DNA damage between healthy elderly subjects and chronic alcoholics (62 vs 55%, P >0.05), although average DNA migration was greater in alcoholics than in the elderly (78.1 +/- 33.2 vs 58.6 +/- 26.2, P = 0.09). However, the percentage of subjects with more than six damaged cells was higher in the older adults subjects group than in the group chronic alcoholics (19 vs 35%, P = 0.16).


CONCLUSIONS
Data suggest that DNA damage is not similar in young subjects with chronic alcoholism that which occurs with ageing.
Retana-Ugalde
Raquel
R
Unidad de Investigación en Gerontología, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico.
Altamirano-Lozano
Mario
M
Mendoza-Núñez
Víctor Manuel
VM
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D020552:Comet Assay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003196:Computer Graphics; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D008432:Mathematical Computing; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values
D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase