5′,8-Cyclo-2′-deoxyadenosine and 5′,8-cyclo-2′-deoxyguanosine in their 5′R and 5′S diastereomeric forms are tandem-type lesions observed among the DNA modifications and identified in mammalian cellular DNAin vivo. These lesions result from the chemistry of the C5′ radicals generated by the attack of HO˙ radicals to 2-deoxyribose units. Quantitative determination of these lesions in biological samples as biomarkers of free radical damage is a challenge. Results reported for irradiated samples of calf thymus DNA have been critically reviewed, underlining the need of further research for the potential involvement of these lesions in human health (76 references).

Purine 5′,8-cyclonucleoside lesions: chemistry and biology

The chemical repair of radical-damaged DNA by glutathione in aqueous solution has been studied using density functional theory. Two main mechanisms were investigated: the single electron transfer (SET) and the hydrogen transfer (HT). Glutathione was found to repair radical damaged DNA by HT from the thiol group with rate constants that are close to the diffusion-limited regime, which means that the process is fast enough for repairing the damage before replication and therefore for preventing permanent DNA damage. The SET mechanism was found to be of minor importance for the activity of glutathione. In addition while SET can be essential for other compounds when repairing radical cation species, repairing the C′-centered guanosyl radicals via SET is not a viable mechanism, due to the very low electron affinity of these species. The importance of considering pH-related physiological conditions and using complex enough models, including the ribose moiety and the H bonding between base pairs, to study this k...

On the chemical repair of DNA radicals by glutathione: hydrogen vs electron transfer

DNA damage can lead to carcinogenesis if replication proceeds without proper repair. This study evaluated the effects of the water extracts of three Salvia sp., Salvia officinalis (SO), Salvia fruticosa (SF), and Salvia lavandulifolia (SL), and of the major phenolic constituents, rosmarinic acid (RA) and luteolin-7-glucoside (L-7-G), on DNA protection in Caco-2 and HeLa cells exposed to oxidative agents and on DNA repair in Caco-2 cells. The comet assay was used to measure DNA damage and repair capacity. The final concentration of each sage extract was 50 μg/mL, and concentrations of RA and L-7-G were 50 and 20 μM, respectively. After a short incubation (2 h), L-7-G protected DNA in Caco-2 cells from damage induced by H2O2 (75 μM); also, after a long incubation (24 h), SF, RA, and L-7-G had protective effects in Caco-2 cells. In HeLa cells, SO, SF, and RA protected against damage induced by H2O2 after 24 h of incubation. Assays of DNA repair show that SO, SF, and L-7-G increased the rate of DNA repair (re...

Polyphenolic compounds from Salvia species protect cellular DNA from oxidation and stimulate DNA repair in cultured human cells.

Oxidative stress: Oxidants and antioxidants ?, Editor Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 92101, U.S.A. 650 pp. 1991. Price: $ 148.00 US

Molecular aspects on the interaction of quercetin and its metal complexes with DNA

This tutorial review highlights the mechanism of a novel non-enzymatic fast repair of DNA damage, which refers exclusively to repair DNA radicals including DNA-OH* adducts, DNA radical cations and anions by various endogenous, natural and synthetic compounds. The repair rate constants are as high as 10(9) M(-1) s(-1). In cells, when the enzymatic repair system was inhibited or before the enzymatic repair mechanism was initiated, DNA oxidative damage was significantly reduced by natural polyphenols. This decrease of DNA damage is assigned to the fast repair. Fast repair takes place through an electron transfer process, and docking of polyphenol into the DNA minor groove could be the essential step.

Xiaorong Tan

Papers

Fast repair of DNA radicals

In vivo non-enzymatic repair of DNA oxidative damage by polyphenols

Fast Repair of DNA Radicals