8‐Oxodeoxyguanosine Formation in the DNA of Cultured Cells After Exposure to H2O2 Alone or with UVB or UVA Irradiation

Abstract The objective of the present study was to establish whether H 2 O 2 alone or in the presence of UVA or UVB would give rise to formation of the oxidatively damaged DNA base 7, 8‐dihydro‐8‐oxo‐2′‐deoxyguanosine (8‐oxo‐dG) in cultured adult rat liver (ARL‐18) epithelial cells. Hydrogen peroxide alone at 5 m M increased 8‐oxo‐dG levels by 42% of that of culture control. Compared to culture control, UVB exposure at a dose of 0.63 J/cm 2 elevated 8‐oxo‐dG levels only 8.4%. In the presence of 5 m M H 2 O 2 + UVB (0.63 J/cm 2 ), 8‐oxo‐dG levels were elevated 155% above culture control suggesting a synergistic effect. A UVA dose of 10 J/cm 2 did not elevate 8‐oxo‐dG levels above culture control. In the presence of 5 m M H 2 O 2 plus UVA (12 J/cm 2 ), 8‐oxo‐dG levels were elevated 310% above controls compared with an increase of 75.8% above control levels at the same dose in the absence of H 2 O 2 . These results reveal that both UVA or UVB can promote H 2 O 2 generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in whole cells resulting in an increase in the formation of 8‐oxo‐dG, although the photodynamic generation of ROS from H 2 O 2 occurs with a much higher efficiency in the presence of UVB. Our study also demonstrates that 8‐oxo‐dG can be generated in cellular DNA of whole cells exposed to H 2 O 2 and UVA or UVB, indicating that the ROS generated in whole cell systems are long enough lived to migrate to the nucleus and cause DNA damage.