Dna Damage as a Marker of Exposure to Carcinogens

Abstract

The biochemical and molecular basis of cancer continues to be an expanding area of research at least in part due to concerns about increasing human health risks caused by exposure to toxic chemicals of both industrial and natural origin. Recently biochemical and molecular epidemiological approaches have been applied to identify individuals at high cancer risk by obtaining evidence of high exposure to carcinogens. Because DNA is considered to be an important target for modifications by mutagens and carcinogens, damage to DNA can be used as marker of carcinogen exposure. Ultimate carcinogenic forms of most carcinogens are electrophilic in nature and form covalent adducts with DNA. Highly sensitive and specific methods have been developed to measure the minute amounts of DNA adducts found in biological specimens from humans exposed to carcinogens. During the past several years substantial data generated in experimental systems and human populations suggest the potential usefulness of biological markers like carcinogen—DNA adducts. The data base generated so far show considerable human inter-individual variation in binding and the presence of significant “background” levels of adducts. At present carcinogen DNA adducts can be useful in hazard identification.