title: Oxidative DNA damage in chronic renal failure patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic renal failure (CRF) patients present a high incidence of cardiovascular pathologies and cancer. This has been attributed to the existence of genomic instability in these patients, and consequently they should present elevated levels of genetic damage.
  
  
  METHODS
  To determine the background levels of genetic damage and its specific levels of oxidative damage, a large population of 253 CRF patients (77 in dialysis) was analysed using the comet assay. The percentage of DNA in the tail was used as a measure of basal genetic damage. In addition, the use of endo III and FPG enzymes allowed us to determine the levels of specific oxidative damage in DNA bases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This is the first study that uses endo III and FPG enzymes to measure oxidative damage in CRF patients. Overall genetic damage, as well as specific oxidative damage, was higher in dialysis patients than in the CRF patients with different stages of uraemic state; genetic damage increased when serum creatinine levels increased. Genomic damage in dialysis patients decreased in those patients submitted to dialysis for a long time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Genetic damage increases when renal function decreases, being maximum in haemodialysis patients. Although part of the observed damage can be attributed to the uraemic state itself, other individual genetic factors can influence a state of genomic instability responsible for the observed genomic damage.
authors.affiliation: Grup de Mutagènesi, Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Edifici Cn, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
authors.forename: Elitsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stoyanova
authors.forename: Silvia Berenice
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Sandoval
authors.forename: Liliana Andrea
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Zúñiga
authors.forename: Naouale
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: El-Yamani
authors.forename: Elisabet
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Coll
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pastor
authors.forename: Joselyn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reyes
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Andrés
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ballarin
authors.forename: Noel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Xamena
authors.forename: Ricard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marcos
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D020552:Comet Assay; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; D003404:Creatinine