Biomarkers of oxidative stress and damage in human populations exposed toarsenic
Andrea De Vizcaya-Ruiz , Olivier Barbier , Ruben Ruiz-Ramos , Mariano E. Cebrian
a Sección Externa de Toxicología, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del I.P.N., Avenida Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, México, D.F., 07360 Mexicob Centro de Investigación en Salud Poblacional INSP, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Arsenic (As) is an ubiquitous element in the environment for which the main route of human exposure
is through consumption of drinking water. Reactive oxygen species generation (ROS) associated with As
exposure is known to play a fundamental role in the induction of adverse health effects and disease (cancer,
diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular and neurological diseases). However, the precise mechanismsof oxidative stress and damage from As exposure are not fully understood and moreover the use of non-
invasive methods of measuring ROS generation and oxidative damage footprints in humans is no easy
task. Although As induces adverse health effects not all exposed individuals develop degenerative chronic
diseases or even manifest adverse effects or symptoms, suggesting that genetic susceptibility is an impor-
tant factor involved in the human response to As exposure. This mini-review summarizes the literaturedescribing the molecular mechanisms affected by As, as well as the most used biomarkers of oxidativestress and damage in human populations. The most reported biomarkers of oxidative DNA damage are theurinary excretion of 8-OHdG and the comet assay in lymphocytes, and more recently DNA repair mecha-nism markers from the base and nuclear excision repair pathways (BER and NER). Genetic heterogeneityin the oxidative stress pathways involved in As metabolism are important causative factors of disease. Thus further refinement of human exposure assessment is needed to reinforce study design to evaluateexposure–response relationships and study gene–environment interactions. The use of microarray-basedgene expression analysis can provide better insights of the underlying mechanisms involved in As-induceddiseases and could help to identify target genes that can be modulated to prevent disease.
2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Arsenic, oxidative stress and their biological implications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Arsenic-induced ROS generation and oxidative damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The antioxidant response and arsenic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(CH3)2As•, Dimethylarsinic radical; (CH3)2AsOO•, Dimethylarsinic peroxyl; •OH, Hydroxyl radical; 1O2, Singlet oxygen; 8-OHdG, 8-Hydroxy-2 -
deoxyguanosine; 8-oxo-G, 8-Hydroxy-guanine; 8-oxy-Guo, 8-Hydroxyguanosine; AGEs, Advanced glycation end-products; AP-1, Activator protein 1; ARE, Antioxidantresponse element; As, Arsenic; BCC, Basal cell carcinomas; BER, Base-excision repair; CAT, Catalase; CCL20, Chemokine (C–C Motif) ligand 20; CO, Carbon monoxide; COX-2,Cyclooxygenase 2; Creat, Creatinine; DCFH-DA, 6-Carboxy-2 ,7 -dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate; DMA, Dimethylarsenic acid; DMPO, 5 5-Dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide;DNA, Deoxyribonucleic acid; EGF, Epithelial growth factor; ER-␣, Estrogen receptor-␣; ERK, Extracellular signal-regulated kinases; ESR, Electron spin resonance; GPx, Glu-tathione peroxidase; GSH, Glutathione; GST, Glutathione S-transferase; GSTM1, Glutathione S-transferase M1; H2O2, Hydrogen peroxide; HIF-1, Hypoxia-inducible factor 1;HNE, 4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal; HO-1, Heme oxygenase-1; JNK, C-Jun N-terminal kinases; Keap1, Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1; LOO•, Peroxyl radical; LPO, Lipid perox-ides; MAP Kinases, Mitogen-activated protein kinases; MDA, Malondialdehyde; MMA, Monomethylarsonic acid; NADPH, Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate; NER,Nucleotide-excision repair; NF-kB, Nuclear factor-kappa B; Nrf-2, NF-E2-related factor-2; O
, Superoxide anion; OGG1, 8-Oxoguanine DNA-glycosylase 1; Pb,
Lead; PBMC, Peripheral blood mononuclear cells; PDGF, Platelet-derived growth factor; PHA, Poly-hydroxy fatty acid; PI3-kinase, Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; PKC, Proteinkinase C; PLA2, Phospholipase A2; PLC, Phospholipase C; POL b, Polymerase b; ROS, Reactive oxygen species; SCC, Squamous cell carcinomas; SOD, Superoxide dismutase;TNF, Tumor necrosis factors; TRX, Thioredoxin; UC, Urothelial carcinoma; XPA, Xeroderma pigmentosum, complementation group A; XRCC1, X-ray repair complementingdefective repair in chinese hamster cells 1.
∗ Corresponding author at: Sección Externa de Toxicología, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del I.P.N., P.O. Box 14-740, México, D.F., 07360 Mexico.
Tel.: +52 55 57473309; fax: +52 55 57473395. E-mail address: (M.E. Cebrian).
1383-5718/$ – see front matter 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. A. De Vizcaya-Ruiz et al. / Mutation Research 674 (2009) 85–92
Biomarkers of oxidative stress, damage and antioxidant capacity in human populations exposed to arsenic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Levels of reactive oxidants and lipid peroxidation end-products in plasma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The use of fluorescent probes and electron spin resonance (ESR) for ROS measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Oxidative DNA damage associated to arsenic exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Guanine oxidation products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Comet assay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Effects of arsenic on ROS defense mechanisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Base excision DNA repair (BER) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Nucleotide excision DNA repair (NER) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Effects of arsenic on the antioxidant response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Conflict of interest statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Introduction
oxidative stress and its formation leads to a cascade of secondaryROS such as H2O2 and •OH induces a rapid decline of
Arsenic (As) is ubiquitous in the environment, but the major
mitochondrial membrane potential, altering the activity of mito-
route of human exposure for inorganic As is through consump-
chondrial enzymes, promoting dramatic morphologic changes and
tion of contaminated drinking water. Arsenic is a well-known
the loss of mitochondrial internal organization. A deflection of elec-
ROS inducer, and generation of these species associated with As
trons from the respiratory chain has been suggested as a possible
exposure has been shown to play a fundamental role in the induc-
cause of the mitochondrial alterations, thus implicating mitochon-
tion of adverse health effects nder pathological conditions
dria as the main site where As-induced ROS are generated
increased intracellular ROS content contributes to cellular impair-
In addition, ROS may be formed by cytosolic enzymes having per-
ment and metabolic remodeling through oxidative damage that
oxidase activity, such as cytochrome P-450, which sequentially
may lead to physiological dysfunctions and degenerative chronic
transfer two electrons from NADPH to molecular oxygen
diseases. Arsenic exposure has been associated with different types
Another mechanism is the generation of H2O2 during the oxida-
of cancer (skin, bladder, liver, kidney and lung) diabetes
tion of As(III) to As(V) in the course of formation of intermediary
rteriosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases ypertension
arsine species such as dimethylarsinic peroxyl [(CH3)2AsOO•] and
neurological diseases (Alzheimer and Parkinson)
Although As has been proven to induce adverse health effects, not
thermore, As increases oxygen cell consumption contributing to
all exposed individuals develop degenerative chronic As-related
increased ROS production and oxidative stress ther mecha-
diseases or even manifest adverse effects or symptoms related to
nism of ROS generation by As is the involvement of hepatic and renal
the exposure, suggesting that genetic susceptibility is an important
heme oxygenase isoform 1 (HO-1), as shown in rodents, resulting
factor involved in the human response to As exposure.
in the production of additional free iron, CO and biliverdin
Oxidative stress is among the more documented mechanisms
Free iron can participate in a Fenton type reaction, in which H2O2
of As toxicity and carcinogenicity. The term in essence refers to
is reduced to OH− and •OH. Alternatively, H2O2 can participate in
a serious imbalance between production of reactive species and
+ H2O2 → O2 + •OH + OH−), that com-
antioxidant defense, encompassing a broad spectrum of conditions
bines a Fenton reaction and the reduction of Fe(III) by O •−
that alter cellular redox status Notwithstanding the exper-
imental evidence linking As exposure and oxidative stress, the
•OH, the generally assumed critical reactive species directly attack-
precise mechanisms by which As induces oxidative stress are not
yet fully understood. This limitation has had implications in rela-
Under physiological conditions, intracellular ROS levels play an
tion to the selection of useful biomarkers of oxidative stress and
important role in regulating cell functions, such as intracellular Ca2+
damage that could be associated both with exposure and adverse
and glucose homeostasis pathways and autophagy
ene expression hypoxic and inflammatory responses
This mini-review summarizes the molecular mechanisms
OS signaling also participates in maintaining cell integrity
known to be affected by As and the effects of As exposure on
by regulating cell adhesion apoptosis and cell proliferation
molecules that can be used as biomarkers of oxidative stress and
OS act as second messengers through activation/inactivation
damage in human populations. The studies here described are
of many signaling factors by oxidation of thiol groups by
recent approaches related to: (1) measuring ROS directly in biolog-
altering the intracellular redox state consequently inducing cell
ical samples; (2) measuring oxidative damage and oxidative DNA
signaling pathways, downstream gene expression and cell pro-
damage; and (3) investigating the presence of polymorphisms and
liferation or death And in consequence influencing signaling
their influence on the effects of As on both DNA repair and the
molecules including protein tyrosine kinases and phosphatases
expression of members of the antioxidant response in As-exposed
(e.g. EGF, insulin and PDGF receptors), protein serine/threonine
kinases and phosphatases (e.g. MAP Kinases such as JNK, p38or ERK, Akt, PKC, PHA, calcineurin PP2B), small G proteins (e.g. 2. Arsenic, oxidative stress and their biological implications
Ras), lipid signaling (PLC, PLA2, PI3-kinase), Ca2+ signaling (inos-itol (1,4,5)-trisphosphate receptor [Ins(1,4,5)P3 R], Ca2+-ATPase,
2.1. Arsenic-induced ROS generation and oxidative damage
Ca2+/Na+ exchanger) and transcription factors (e.g. AP-1, NF-B,Nrf-2, HIF-1 or p53) alterations also occur by biochemical
The main actors of oxidative stress and oxidative signaling are
reactions like glycation, resulting in reactive and unstable com-
), hydroxyl radical (•OH), hydrogen per-
plex products known as advanced glycation end-products (AGEs)
oxide (H2O2), singlet oxygen (1O2) and peroxyl radical (LOO•).
and protein oxidation, leading to formation of disulphides between
Superoxide anion is considered the primary species in As-induced
oxidized cysteine and methionine residues peroxidation
A. De Vizcaya-Ruiz et al. / Mutation Research 674 (2009) 85–92
cyclization of polyunsaturated fatty acid residues of phos-
tion or alterations in antioxidant activity by affecting their structure
pholipids forming malondialdehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal
(oxidation/reduction of thiol groups and displacement of essential
(HNE) and other exocyclic DNA adducts, and nucleic acid oxidation
metals). The use of antioxidants has been an efficient strategy to
protect cells from oxidative injury and are currently used as pre-
Cell disturbances involved in As-induced oxidative stress closely
ventive and therapeutic agents against oxidative damage occurring
associated with cancer include: DNA damage, DNA hypomethy-
during As exposure or example, preventing changes in
lation and hypermethylation, and alterations in the regulatory
the expression of molecules participating in mitogenic signaling
mechanisms of cell proliferation, apoptosis and necrosis
pathways activated by As, such as increased COX-2 expression
DNA damage observed during As exposure is not directly due tothe metalloid since it does not covalently bind to DNA structures
3. Biomarkers of oxidative stress, damage and antioxidant
but results indirectly from ROS induction which generates DNA
capacity in human populations exposed to arsenic
adducts, DNA strand breaks, cross links and chromosomal aber-rations •OH seems to be responsible for the main DNA
Adverse health outcomes resultant from As exposure are a
damage. The four DNA bases, including the sugar backbone, can be
function of both duration and intensity of exposure and to bet-
oxidatively modified, thymidine being the most susceptible. The
ter understand the dose–response relationships involved in disease
participation of oxidative stress induced by As has been clearly
development, exposure data needs to be collected. Assessment of
implicated in cancer development by several studies focused on
exposure usually considers the measurement of As levels in envi-
bladder cancer models, such as UROtsa cells in vivo mod-
ronmental media (water and soil) and/or the use of biomarkers
els t has also been reported that the binding of arsenite or
of exposure (blood, urine and nails). Oxidative stress and damage
monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) to tubulin can lead to several of the
resultant from metal exposure has been extensively reviewed
genetic effects (aneuploidy, polyploidy and mitotic arrest) observed
The DNA molecule and cell components, such as polyunsaturated
after As exposure Arsenic exposure alters the methylation
fatty acid residues of phospholipids, aminoacids, peptides and pro-
state of cellular DNA by modifying the amount and activities of
teins are susceptible targets of metal-induced ROS attack. The use of
DNA methylation enzymes, both de novo (DNA methyltransferases
non-invasive methods for measuring ROS generation and oxidative
3a and 3b) and maintenance methylation (DNA methyltransferase-
damage footprints in humans is not an easy task, since the prob-
1). These effects can occur directly through As-thiol enzyme
lems related with sample limitation, technical difficulties and data
interaction, indirectly through ROS-enzyme interaction and/or by
interpreting have not yet been completely solved.
depletion of S-adenosyl-methionine pool(s), the methyl donorrequired for As- and DNA-methylation processes Global
3.1. Levels of reactive oxidants and lipid peroxidation
DNA hypomethylation has been shown to occur during As-induced
malignant transformation leading to cancer. Such a state of DNAmethylation imbalance could conceivably disrupt appropriate gene
Lipid peroxidation generates a variety of relatively stable
expression, as occurs during As-induced malignant transforma-
decomposition end-products, mainly ␣,-unsaturated reactive
tion in rodent liver cells, where As-induced aberrant expression
aldehydes, such as MDA, HNE and 2-propenal (acrolein) and iso-
of cytokines, steroid-, apoptosis- and cell cycle-related genes was
prostanes, which can be measured in plasma and urine as indirect
observed. In particular, the marked increase in the expression of
indicators of oxidative stress A study conducted in Tai-
estrogen receptor-␣ (ER-˛) and cyclin D1 genes suggested that DNA
wan showed that As concentration in whole blood of exposed
hypomethylation is a non-genotoxic mechanism of carcinogenesis
individuals (9.6 ± 9.9 g As/L) was positively associated with the
acting by facilitating aberrant gene expression The inhi-
concentration of reactive oxidants and negatively associated with
bition of apoptotic pathways via MAP-kinases by As-induced ROS
the antioxidant capacity of plasma relationship between
seems to be an important mechanism of As carcinogenicity
chronic As exposure from drinking water and oxidative stress inhumans was also explored in Inner Mongolia, China Their
2.2. The antioxidant response and arsenic
results indicated that the mean serum level of lipid peroxides(LPO) was significantly higher in highly exposed individuals hav-
The antioxidant response is one of the most efficient mech-
ing 360 ± 173 g As/L in their urine, as compared with less exposed
anisms of cell defense and is also a vulnerable target for toxic
subjects (71 ± 13 g As/L), without significant differences in blood
compounds, transforming itself in a factor for redox imbalance and
SOD activity. Elevated serum LPO concentrations were correlated
oxidative stress. Numerous enzymatic and non-enzymatic factors
with blood levels of inorganic As and its methylated metabolites.
participate in cell protection by clearing and scavenging ROS to
In addition, there was an inverse correlation with non-protein
maintain low intracellular levels oxide dismutase (SOD),
sulfhydryl levels in whole blood. Both studies provided evidence
catalase (CAT), glutathione transferase (GST), glutathione peroxi-
that chronic As exposure via drinking water results in induction of
dase (GPx) and HO-1 are among the main enzymatic mechanisms
oxidative stress in humans, in agreement with the solid evidence
involved in the antioxidant response to As. In the case of non-
enzymatic antioxidants, vitamins C and E, carotenoids, flavonoids,oligoelements, such as zinc and selenium, amino-acids (taurine,
3.2. The use of fluorescent probes and electron spin resonance
methionine, cystein) and thiol compounds like glutathione (GSH),
N-acetylcysteine, alpha-lipoic acid and thioredoxin (TRX) mustbe mentioned Alterations in the antioxidant cell system
Arsenic exposure induces oxidative stress in humans but in
have been reported in many pathologies involving metal-induced
order to evaluate its magnitude, the measurement of ROS in bio-
oxidative stress The antioxidant response to As seems to
logical media of exposed individuals needs to be performed. The
be time dependent since SOD and CAT activities were shown to
more useful techniques are fluorescent probes to detect ROS or
increase initially but later declined after prolonged exposure
the use of ESR to identify oxygen radicals. Fluorescent probes are
Arsenic-induced damage in the antioxidant system involves sev-
tools with high sensitivity for detecting 1O
eral mechanisms such as altered SOD, CAT and GPx expression
in human samples Dihydro-compounds such as 6-carboxy-
modification of cellular antioxidant uptake, GSH and vitamin deple-
2 ,7 -dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) were used
A. De Vizcaya-Ruiz et al. / Mutation Research 674 (2009) 85–92
to detect ROS generation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells
lia, China, showed that MMA was significantly higher in subjects
(PBMC) from individuals chronically exposed to As and pre-
presenting arsenical dermatosis than in those without the dis-
senting skin lesions (204 ± 102 g As/L in drinking water and
ease, despite no significant differences in the average As levels in
535 ± 346 g As/L in urine), as compared with less exposed indi-
well water. Urinary As species and metabolites were significantly
viduals (6 ± 1 and 27 ± 11 g As/L, respectively). A significantly
associated with 8-OHdG, suggesting a link between As exposure,
higher amount of ROS was detected in highly exposed individ-
oxidative DNA lesions and the presence of As-induced dermatosis
uals (611 ± 48 arbitrary units) as compared with less exposed
individuals (350 ± 51 arbitrary units). High As exposure signifi-
In addition, evidence linking 8-oxoguanine oxidation products
cantly reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential, increased
with precancerous and cancerous lesions with As exposure has
the release of cytochrome c to the cytosol, damaged DNA, lowered
been reported. Studies in Inner Mongolia, China reported on the
Bcl-2 expression, up-regulated Bax expression and caused cell cycle
effects of chronic As exposure via drinking water on 8-oxoguanine-
arrest at G1 in PBMC owever, the limitations of fluorescent
DNA glycosylase (OGG1) expression. OGG1 encodes 8-oxoguanine
probes to measure intracellular ROS generation in human samples
DNA glycosylase, the main enzyme responsible for removing 8-
should be considered since they tend to react with a wide variety
oxoguanine from DNA. The induction of OGG1 expression has
of ROS and are not completely photostable
been shown to correlate with the repair capacity of 8-oxoguanine
Another widely used approach to determine ROS generation
The expression of OGG1 was positively associated with
in human samples is ESR which allows measurement of sev-
As concentrations in water, reaching its maximum expression at
eral types of radical species induced by oxidative stressors. ESR
149 g As/L. OGG1 expression was also significantly associated with
allows the detection of unpaired electrons and since radical species
nail As concentrations but inversely associated with nail selenium
have an extremely short half-life (t1/2 = 10−9–10 s), spin trapping
levels. In addition, OGG1 expression showed a significant dose-
agents to immobilize and measure them are commonly used. The
dependent increased risk of skin hyperkeratosis in men (OR = 2.98
measurement of oxygen species using ESR has shown that As(III)
for the highest category of OGG1 expression) but not in women
oxidation to As(V) in cells generates O •−
authors concluded that OGG1 expression may be a use-
As(III) into dimethylarsine was accompanied by the production of
ful biomarker for assessing oxidative stress from As exposure. A
and •OH in cellular systems ESR spectroscopy stud-
hospital-based case–control study was conducted in Taiwan to
ies using 5 5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) suggested that
evaluate the relationships among urinary levels of 8-OHdG, the pro-
the DNA-damaging activity of DMA(III) is an indirect genotoxic
file of As species in urine and the presence of urothelial carcinoma
effect mediated by a hydroxyl radical-adduct formed concomitantly
(UC). The mean urinary concentration of total As was significantly
with the oxidation of DMA(III) to DMA(V) mmunodetection of
higher in UC patients (37.6 ± 2.9 g/g creat) than in healthy controls
spin trapping agents, combining the specificity and sensitivity of
(21.1 ± 0.7 g/g creat) and that urinary 8-OHdG levels correlated
spin trapping and antigen–antibody interactions, is an alternative
with total As urinary concentrations. Multiple linear regression
approach to overcome the need for large amounts of radicals and
analyses revealed that high urinary 8-OHdG levels were associated
protein levels to detect the formation of protein-derived radicals
with increased total As, inorganic arsenite, MMA and dimethylarse-
owever, these techniques have not been used for detecting
nate (DMA) concentrations, as well as the primary methylation
radicals resultant from As exposure in humans. Considering the
index even after adjusting for age, gender and UC status. The results
possible sequence of events: As → superoxide anions → hydrogen
suggest that oxidative DNA damage was associated with As expo-
peroxide → hydroxyl radicals → genotoxicity/toxicity t would
sure, even at low urinary As levels, and that 8-OHdG may be a good
be interesting to establish their feasibility and usefulness for studies
The associations between urinary concentrations of As, Cr and Ni
and the level of oxidative DNA damage were studied in school chil-
3.3. Oxidative DNA damage associated to arsenic exposure
dren exposed to emissions from a coal-fired power plant in Taiwan. The children with higher urinary As and Cr levels (21.3 ± 4.3 and
3.7 ± 0.5 g/g creat, respectively) had the highest urinary 8-OHdG
Several products of guanine oxidation in position 8 and excreted
levels in urine, followed by those with low As and high Cr levels, and
in urine have been used as oxidative DNA damage markers in
those with low levels of both elements. The authors concluded that
human studies, among them are 8-hydroxy-guanine (8-oxo-G), 8-
exposure to As and Cr may play an important role in oxidative DNA
hydroxyguanosine (8-oxy-Guo) and 8-hydroxy-2 -deoxyguanosine
damage to children and that the role of exposure to other metals
(8-OHdG). The analytical methods to detect these markers are tech-
should be further investigated study in six villages from Ari-
nically challenging since the initial products of the free radical
zona (USA) and Sonora (Mexico) studied the relationship between
attack on purines, pyrimidines and deoxyribose suffer transforma-
As exposure from ≤5 to 40 g As/L in tap water and urinary 8-OHdG
tion into stable end products whose relative amounts are highly
concentration. There were no significant associations between uri-
dependent on reaction conditions and artifactual DNA damage may
nary As (13–79 g As/g creat) and 8-OHdG levels, suggesting that
occur during isolation is one of the more abundant
higher exposures are required to produce oxidative DNA damage
base modifications and has attracted special attention because it
available evidence supports the idea that 8-OHdG in As-
causes G-to-T transversions and its presence may lead to mutagen-
exposed human populations is a reliable marker of oxidative DNA
esis. Moreover, the repair process of the 8-OHdG-inflicted damage
damage at medium and high exposure levels. Thus, it remains to be
results in the excised 8-OHdG adduct being excreted in urine,
established if the methodologies applied have enough sensitivity to
and because of its easy collection it is regarded as a suitable
detect low levels of 8-oxodG induced by exposure to low As levels.
oxidative DNA damage biomarker In relation to studies onAs-exposed populations, a study in a Cambodian population chron-
ically exposed to As in groundwater (<1–886 g As/L) showed that
The single-cell gel electrophoresis or comet assay is based on
subjects with elevated levels of As in urine (2.2–119 ng/mg creat)
the ability of negatively charged DNA fragments to be resolved in
had higher levels of urinary 8-OHdG suggesting that induction of
an agarose gel in response to an electric field, the extent of DNA
oxidative DNA damage was caused by chronic As exposure
migration is directly proportional to the DNA damage present in the
A cross-sectional study in an As-affected village in Inner Mongo-
cells. The assay is widely used to measure DNA damage and repair
A. De Vizcaya-Ruiz et al. / Mutation Research 674 (2009) 85–92
alterations in primary human lymphocytes induced by oxidative
ant allele whereas 78% presented the high-risk XRCC1 wild-type 194
species by measuring strand breaks and apurinic sites. Glass work-
Trp/Trp genotype. The authors concluded that individuals may have
ers from Hyderabad, India chronically exposed to As (12.3 ± 2.3
inherently different odds for developing skin lesions based in part
years) had significantly higher blood As concentrations (56.7 g/L)
on their genetic profile for BER and their As exposure history
when compared with controls (11.7 g/L). The workers had a sig-
A study on Bangladeshi healthy women reported a novel interac-
nificantly higher level of basal DNA damage, as measured by mean
tion between As and GSTM1 genotype in association with urinary
tail length (14.9 m) in the comet assay, as compared with controls
8-OHdG. Urinary 8-OHdG concentration increased in response to
(8.2 m). The workers also had a significantly higher frequency of
high total urinary As concentrations only among women with
micronuclei (1.5%) when compared with controls (0.2%). They also
the GSTM1 null genotype. These results suggested that individu-
showed a significant positive correlation of As levels in whole blood
als lacking a functional GSTM1 enzyme cannot properly detoxify
with both parameters of lymphocyte genotoxicity Another
As, resulting in increased oxidative stress. In addition, the APE1
study comparing workers from three Polish copper smelters hav-
148 Glu allele was associated with decreases in urinary 8-OHdG,
ing mean urinary total As levels of 57.0 ± 50.3 g As/L with control
suggesting that the polymorphism affects the repair of this adduct
individuals having 12.6 ± 20.0 g As/L found significant increases
oth studies contribute to a growing body of evidence that
in DNA damage, measured as median tail moment, and in oxidative
As is associated with oxidative stress and alterations in the repair
DNA damage, as measured with the formamidopyrimidine glyco-
of oxidative damage, and that the measurement of changes in the
sylase digestion method in leukocytes. Although inorganic As was
expression of BER genes holds great promise as a susceptibility
present in air and urine samples from workers, no clear association
biomarker of oxidative DNA damage in human populations exposed
with DNA damage was found. The authors suggested that the DNA
to oxidant stressors such as As. The data also suggest the increasing
damage was caused not only by exposure to As but also to other
importance of considering genetic heterogeneity in the pathways
agents present in the environment of copper smelters study
involved in oxidative stress, and As metabolism as a contributing
on children exposed simultaneously to lead and As assessed DNA
factor to explain discrepancies in results across studies.
damage and DNA repair ability in lymphocytes by means of thecomet assay and the hydrogen peroxide challenge. Most children
3.4.2. Nucleotide excision DNA repair (NER)
(93%) had urinary As concentrations above 50 g/L and 65% had
BER enzymes recognize specific lesions in DNA and only repair
blood lead levels above 10 g/L. The DNA damage and decreased
damaged bases whereas NER participating enzymes identify bulky
repair ability in all children were more severe than that reported
distortions in the shape of the DNA double helix and initiate the
for healthy non-exposed Mexican children. However, multivariate
process by removing a short single-stranded DNA segment that
analysis did not show significant associations between DNA basal
includes the lesion, creating a single-strand gap in the DNA
damage and lead or As levels, or evidence of Pb and As interac-
The next step involves the correction by DNA polymerase using the
tions. Children responding to the peroxide challenge showed that
undamaged strand as a template. Arsenic inhibits NER by block-
repair ability at 60 min was negatively associated with urinary As
ing the ligation and incision steps. One product of NER action is
levels. No significant association with Pb or evidence of interac-
8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2 -deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dGuo) which could
tions between As and Pb was found aken together, the data
be identified in urine A study in Taiwanese semiconduc-
summarized above contribute to the evidence that oxidative stress
tor workers reported a relationship between As exposure and
plays a major role in As-induced DNA-damage and that exposure
NER pathway products showing a significantly elevated urinary
to other contaminants requires further study.
8-oxo-dGuo excretion in exposed workers in comparison with non-exposed workers (9.6 ± 5.1 g/L vs. 3.3 ± 2.3 g/L). The strongest
3.4. Effects of arsenic on ROS defense mechanisms
correlation observed was between the urinary levels of 8-oxo-dGuo and MMA monomethylarsonic acid urthermore, genes
3.4.1. Base excision DNA repair (BER)
involved in NER, such as the excision repair cross-complement 1
DNA repair systems reduce mutations and chromosomal aber-
(ERCC1), have also been identified to be altered in As exposure in
rations, remove DNA adducts, correct DNA sequence and rejoin
humans. ERCC1 is essential for nucleotide repair and it is known to
strand breaks, and BER is the predominant repair pathway for
remove 3 single-stranded flaps from DNA ends and cleaves the 5
ROS-induced DNA lesions olymorphisms in XRCC1, APE1 and
side of a bubble in NER to excise the lesion. Incision by ERCC1-XPF
hOGG1 have been shown to reduce the capacity to repair oxidative
creates a 3 OH group that is used to prime DNA synthesis to replace
damage. XRCC1 is a scaffolding protein that interacts with enzy-
excised bases and it is also involved in homologous recombina-
matic components during DNA repair, including polymerase b (POL
tion and repair of double-strand breaks and interstrand crosslinks. b), hOGG1 and APE. It can also repair single strand breaks from the
A study carried out in New Hampshire, USA and Sonora, Mex-
BER process itself or damage to deoxyribose. APE1 is essential for
ico showed that individuals exposed to As concentrations higher
apurinic/apyrimidinic excision sites generated during glycosylase
than 6 g/L in drinking water had lower ERCC1 expression than
initiation of the repair of a damaged base process; it also helps
those exposed to less than 6 g/L at both locations. In the New
to recruit POL b to facilitate the repair process. hOGG1 is a DNA
Hampshire population, ERCC1 expression decreased with increased
glycosylase protein that specifically removes adducts from oxida-
urinary inorganic As levels and low levels of ERCC1 protein were
tively damaged DNA, which mainly acts onto the G:C pair, and,
also found in individuals exposed to As concentrations higher than
together with hOGG2, removes 8-OHdG and incise the resulting
5 g/L in drinking water. In addition, residents exposed to high As
apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) site by its accompanying AP-lyase activ-
levels in water (13–93 g/L) had higher levels of DNA damage as
ity through -elimination mechanism. A study on an As exposed
indicated by larger olive tail moments than residents exposed to
population (6 g/g ± 8.32 in toenail) conducted in Bangladesh with
lower levels (<0.7 g/L) ability of As to react with thiols
the purpose of investigating effect modifiers of the association
of the zinc binding structures present in NER enzymes, such as the
between As exposure and skin lesions, explored some polymor-
Zn finger proteins XPA and XPD seems to be a plausible explana-
phisms in BER genes (XRCC1 Arg399Gln, XRCC1 Arg194Trp, hOGG1
tion for the DNA damage induced by As involvement
Ser326Cys and APE1 Asp148Glu). The study provided evidence that
of XPA protein in As-induced NER alterations is also supported by a
APE1 and XRCC1 were associated with As-induced skin lesions. Only
study focused on NER genetic polymorphisms XPA (A23G) and XPD
6% of the population was homozygous for the high-risk APE1 vari-
(Asp 312 Asn and Lys 751 Gln) and basal (BCC) and squamous cell
A. De Vizcaya-Ruiz et al. / Mutation Research 674 (2009) 85–92
carcinomas (SCC) in an As-exposed population in New Hampshire,
gested that the robust and persistent up-regulation of HO-1 could
USA. For XPA subjects with homozygous wild-type genotypes and
have an important role in cellular adaptation to chronic As expo-
high As exposure (>286 g/g in nails) there was an elevated risk
sure n addition, a genome-wide expression study aimed to
for BCC compared with the homozygous wild-type with lower As
explore alterations due to As exposure and As-induced toxicity
(OR = 1.8). Variations in XPD at both loci (Asp 312 Asn and Lys 751
in an exposed human population in Bangladesh, showed down-
Gln) occurred less frequently (OR = 0.8) in both types of cancer com-
regulation in SOD2 expression in individuals with skin lesions,
pared with controls. However, in the individuals having a variant
indicating an increased vulnerability to ROS generated by As in indi-
for both XPD polymorphisms, there was an increased OR (2.2) for
viduals with manifest As toxicity. A down-regulated TNF expression
was also observed among affected individuals along with down-regulated expression of CCL20, providing support for the idea that
3.5. Effects of arsenic on the antioxidant response
As suppresses a chemokine response pathway and is associatedwith deficient wound healing in the exposed individuals
Recent studies have indicated that As stimulated defense
elements against As-induced oxidative stress, such as HO-1, a
4. Conclusions
cytoprotective enzyme important in heme catabolism, whoseexpression is regulated through transcription of Nrf-2 by the
Arsenic is a strong disruptor of cell signaling pathways by stim-
antioxidant response element (ARE) Arsenic toxicity in the
context of disruptions in the signal transduction cascade, tran-
species later on transformed to the more reactive oxygenated
scription factors involved and As biotransformation has recently
species H2O2 and •OH. The interaction of these species with
been reviewed The authors emphasized that alterations in
macromolecules leads to oxidative stress, DNA damage, DNA
transcription factors such as inhibition of NF-B, and activation
hypomethylation and hypermethylation, lipid peroxidation and
of AP-1 and Nrf-2 during As exposure may occur through: (i)
alterations in regulatory mechanisms of cell proliferation and
ROS production and/or (ii) an electrophilic metabolite of As (e.g.,
death. Furthermore, various enzymatic and non-enzymatic ele-
MMeAs(III)) that reacts readily with the reactive thiols of Keap1
ments in response to oxidative stress are altered by As exposure,
and suggested that Nrf-2 antioxidant genes, such as HO-1 could
among these are SOD, CAT, GPx and HO-1.
be an effective molecular target to counteract As induced-toxicity.
The advances in oxidative stress measurement techniques
Furthermore, the expression of HO-1 involving ERK/MAPK acti-
have not yet been fully exploited to improve the monitoring of
vation and ROS generation in human keratinocyte HaCaT cells
populations exposed to environmental contaminants, particularly
exposed to arsenite (0–30 M) was reported and the authors sug-
regarding the relationship between oxidative stress and disease
Table 1 Biomarkers of effects and damage in human populations exposed to arsenic.
power plant exposed to As and Cr– Taiwan
30.6 ± 13.2 g As/L in urine-A;46.6 ± 21.7 g As/L in urine-M
A. De Vizcaya-Ruiz et al. / Mutation Research 674 (2009) 85–92
outcomes. However, the more extensively used biomarkers of
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BRAMMER STANDARD ONLINE CATALOG - COMBUSTION MATERIALS CRM C, S, O, N IN IRON BASE MATERIALS CRM C, S, O, N IN IRON BASE MATERIALS __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Number Carbon Sulfur Oxygen Nitrogen UnitsNumber Carbon Sulfur Oxygen Nitrogen Units___________
JOSÉ SARAMAGO: A LITERATURA DO DESASSOSSEGO Era uma vez um homem que José Sousa poderia ser se, por sua auto recreação, o oficial do registo civil não tivesse, ao invés, optado por grafar a alcunha de família, apelidada dos Saramagos. Era uma vez José Saramago em 16 de Novembro de 1922 (Azinhaga, Golegã). Era uma vez um Prémio Nobel em 8 de Outubro de 1998. Mas, acima de tudo, era u