Analysis of 3,N(4)-ethenocytosine in DNA and in human urine by isotope dilution gas chromatography/negative ion chemical ionization/mass spectrometry

Occurrence, Biological Consequences, and Human Health Relevance of Oxidative Stress-Induced DNA Damage

A variety of endogenous and exogenous agents can induce DNA damage and lead to genomic instability. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), an important class of DNA damaging agents, are constantly generated in cells as a consequence of endogenous metabolism, infection/inflammation, and/or exposure to environmental toxicants. A wide array of DNA lesions can be induced by ROS directly, including single-nucleobase lesions, tandem lesions, and hypochlorous acid (HOCl)/hypobromous acid (HOBr)-derived DNA adducts. ROS can also lead to lipid peroxidation, whose byproducts can also react with DNA to produce exocyclic DNA lesions. A combination of bioanalytical chemistry, synthetic organic chemistry, and molecular biology approaches have provided significant insights into the occurrence, repair, and biological consequences of oxidatively induced DNA lesions. The involvement of these lesions in the etiology of human diseases and aging was also investigated in the past several decades, suggesting that the oxidatively induced DNA adducts, especially bulky DNA lesions, may serve as biomarkers for exploring the role of oxidative stress in human diseases. The continuing development and improvement of LC-MS/MS coupled with the stable isotope-dilution method for DNA adduct quantification will further promote research about the clinical implications and diagnostic applications of oxidatively induced DNA adducts.

Mass spectrometry for the assessment of the occurrence and biological consequences of DNA adducts

Exogenous and endogenous sources of chemical species can react, directly or after metabolic activation, with DNA to yield DNA adducts. If not repaired, DNA adducts may compromise cellular functions by blocking DNA replication and/or inducing mutations. Unambiguous identification of the structures and accurate measurements of the levels of DNA adducts in cellular and tissue DNA constitute the first and important step towards understanding the biological consequences of these adducts. The advances in mass spectrometry (MS) instrumentation in the past 2-3 decades have rendered MS an important tool for structure elucidation, quantification, and revelation of the biological consequences of DNA adducts. In this review, we summarized the development of MS techniques on these fronts for DNA adduct analysis. We placed our emphasis of discussion on sample preparation, the combination of MS with gas chromatography- or liquid chromatography (LC)-based separation techniques for the quantitative measurement of DNA adducts, and the use of LC-MS along with molecular biology tools for understanding the human health consequences of DNA adducts. The applications of mass spectrometry-based DNA adduct analysis for predicting the therapeutic outcome of anti-cancer agents, for monitoring the human exposure to endogenous and environmental genotoxic agents, and for DNA repair studies were also discussed.

Ultrasensitive UPLC-MS-MS method for the quantitation of etheno-DNA adducts in human urine

Etheno-DNA adducts are generated from the metabolism of exogenous carcinogens and endogenous lipid peroxidation. We and others have previously reported that 1,N⁶-ethenodeoxyadenosine (εdA) and 3,N⁴-ethenodeoxycytidine (εdC) are present in human urine and can be utilized as biomarkers of oxidative stress. In this study, we report a new ultrasensitive UPLC-ESI-MS/MS method for the analysis of εdA and εdC in human urine, capable of detecting 0.5 fmol εdA and 0.3 fmol εdC in 1.0 mL of human urine, respectively. For validation of the method, 20 human urine samples were analyzed, and the results revealed that the mean levels of εdA and εdC (SD) fmol/µmol creatinine are 5.82 ± 2.11 (range 3.0–9.5) for εdA and 791.4 ± 328.8 (range 116.7–1264.9) for εdC in occupational benzene-exposed workers and 2.10 ± 1.32 (range 0.6–4.7) for εdA and 161.8 ± 200.9 (range 1.8–557.5) for εdC in non-benzene-exposed workers, respectively. The ultrasensitive detection method is thus suitable for applications in human biomonitoring and molecular epidemiology studies.

Increased levels of inosine in a mouse model of inflammation

One possible mechanism linking inflammation with cancer involves the generation of reactive oxygen, nitrogen, and halogen species by activated macrophages and neutrophils infiltrating sites of infection or tissue damage, with these chemical mediators causing damage that ultimately leads to cell death and mutation. To determine the most biologically deleterious chemistries of inflammation, we previously assessed products across the spectrum of DNA damage arising in inflamed tissues in the SJL mouse model nitric oxide overproduction ( Pang et al. ( 2007 ) Carcinogenesis 28 , 1807 - 1813 ). Among the anticipated DNA damage chemistries, we observed significant changes only in lipid peroxidation-derived etheno adducts. We have now developed an isotope-dilution, liquid chromatography-coupled, tandem quadrupole mass spectrometric method to quantify representative species across the spectrum of RNA damage products predicted to arise at sites of inflammation, including nucleobase deamination (xanthosine and inosine), oxidation (8-oxoguanosine), and alkylation (1,N(6)-ethenoadenosine). Application of the method to the liver, spleen, and kidney from the SJL mouse model revealed generally higher levels of oxidative background RNA damage than was observed in DNA in control mice. However, compared to control mice, RcsX treatment to induce nitric oxide overproduction resulted in significant increases only in inosine and only in the spleen. Further, the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, N-methylarginine, did not significantly affect the levels of inosine in control and RcsX-treated mice. The differences between DNA and RNA damage in the same animal model of inflammation point to possible influences from DNA repair, RcsX-induced alterations in adenosine deaminase activity, and differential accessibility of DNA and RNA to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species as determinants of nucleic acid damage during inflammation.

Assays for urinary biomarkers of oxidatively damaged nucleic acids

The analysis of oxidized nucleic acid metabolites can be performed by a variety of methodologies: liquid chromatography coupled with electrochemical or mass-spectrometry detection, gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, capillary electrophoresis and ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). The major analytical challenge is specificity. The best combination of selectivity and speed of analysis can be obtained by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometric detection. This, however, is also the most demanding technique with regard to price, complexity and skills requirement. The available ELISA methods present considerable specificity problems and cannot be recommended at present. The oxidized nucleic acid metabolites in urine are assumed to originate from the DNA and RNA. However, direct evidence is not available. A possible contribution from the nucleotide pools is most probably minimal, if existing. Recent investigation on RNA oxidation has shown conditions where RNA oxidation but not DNA oxidation is prominent, and while investigation on DNA is of huge interest, RNA oxidation may be overlooked. The methods for analyzing oxidized deoxynucleosides can easily be expanded to analyze the oxidized ribonucleosides. The urinary measurement of oxidized nucleic acid metabolites provides a non-invasive measurement of oxidative stress to DNA and RNA.

Simultaneous quantification of three lipid peroxidation-derived etheno adducts in human DNA by stable isotope dilution nanoflow liquid chromatography nanospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Etheno DNA adducts are promutagenic DNA lesions derived from exogenous industrial chemicals, as well as endogenous sources including lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, levels of etheno adducts in tissue DNA are elevated in cancer-prone tissues. In this study, we have developed a highly sensitive and specific stable isotope dilution nanoflow LC-nanospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (nanoLC-NSI/MS/MS) assay for simultaneous detection and accurate quantification of 1,N(6)-etheno-2'-deoxyadenosine (epsilondAdo), 3,N(4)-etheno-2'-deoxycytidine (epsilondCyt), and 1,N(2)-etheno-2'-deoxyguanosine (1,N(2)-epsilondGuo) in tissue DNA. Typically, [(13)C(1),(15)N(2)]epsilondAdo, [(15)N(3])epsilondCyd, and [(13)C(1),(15)N(2)]1,N(2)-epsilondGuo were added to calf thymus, human placenta, or human leukocyte DNA as internal standards, and the mixture was subjected to enzyme hydrolysis to form the nucleosides. The etheno adducts in DNA hydrolysate were enriched by a reversed phase solid-phase extraction column before analysis by nanoLC-NSI/MS/MS under the highly selective reaction monitoring (H-SRM) mode. This nanoLC-NSI/MS/MS assay achieved attomole-level sensitivity with the detection limit of 0.73, 160, and 34 amol for the respective standard epsilondAdo, epsilondCyd, and 1,N(2)-epsilondGuo injected on-column, while the quantification limit for the entire assay was 0.18, 4.0, and 3.4 fmol, respectively. The levels of epsilondAdo, epsilondCyd, and 1,N(2)-epsilondGuo in human placental DNA were 28.2, 44.1, and 8.5 adducts in 10(8) normal nucleosides, respectively. The levels of epsilondAdo, epsilondCyd, and 1,N(2)-epsilondGuo in 11 human leukocyte DNA samples were 16.2 +/- 5.2, 11.1 +/- 5.8, and 8.6 +/- 9.1 (mean +/- S.D.) in 10(8) normal nucleotides, respectively, starting from 30 mug of DNA or 1-1.5 mL of blood, and all the relative standard deviations were within 10%. An aliquot equivalent to 6 mug of DNA hydrolysate was used for analysis by this nanoLC-NSI/MS/MS. Thus, this highly sensitive and specific nanoLC-NSI/MS/MS method is suitable for accurate quantification of the three lipid peroxidation-derived etheno DNA adducts as noninvasive biomarkers in clinical studies for cancer risk assessment and for evaluation of preventive agents.

Challenges in developing DNA and RNA biomarkers of inflammation

Inflammation is now a proven cause of human diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. One potential link between inflammation and disease involves secretion of reactive chemical species by immune cells, with chronic damage to host epithelial cells leading to disease. This suggests pathophysiologically that DNA and RNA damage products are candidate biomarkers of inflammation, both for mechanistic understanding of the process and for risk assessment. Of the current approaches to quantifying DNA damage products, mass spectrometry-based methods provide the most rigorous quantification needed for biomarker development, while antibody-based approaches provide the most practical way to implement biomarkers in a clinical setting. Nonetheless, all approaches are biased by adventitious formation of DNA and RNA damage products during sample processing. Recent studies of tissue-derived DNA biomarkers in mouse models of inflammation reveal significant changes only in DNA adducts derived from lipid peroxidation. These and other observations raise the question of the most appropriate sampling compartment for DNA biomarker studies and highlight the emerging role of lipid damage in inflammation.

Lipid peroxidation-induced DNA damage in cancer-prone inflammatory diseases: a review of published adduct types and levels in humans

Persistent oxidative stress and excess lipid peroxidation (LPO), induced by inflammatory processes, impaired metal storage, and/or dietary imbalance, cause accumulations and massive DNA damage. This massive DNA damage, along with deregulation of cell homeostasis, leads to malignant diseases. Reactive aldehydes produced by LPO, such as 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, malondialdehyde, acrolein, and crotonaldehyde, react directly with DNA bases or generate bifunctional intermediates which form exocyclic DNA adducts. Modification of DNA bases by these electrophiles, yielding promutagenic exocyclic adducts, is thought to contribute to the mutagenic and carcinogenic effects associated with oxidative stress-induced LPO. Ultrasensitive detection methods have facilitated studies of the concentrations of promutagenic DNA adducts in human tissues, white blood cells, and urine, where they are excreted as modified nucleosides and bases. Thus, immunoaffinity-(32)P-postlabeling, high-performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, immunoslotblot assay, and immunohistochemistry have made it possible to detect background concentrations of adducts arising from endogenous LPO products in vivo and studies of their role in carcinogenesis. These background adduct levels in asymptomatic human tissues occur in the order of 1 adduct/10(8) and in organs affected by cancer-prone inflammatory diseases these can be 1 or 2 orders of magnitude higher. In this review, we critically discuss the accuracy of the available methods and their validation and summarize studies in which measurement of exocyclic adducts suggested new mechanisms of cancer causation, providing potential biomarkers for cancer risk assessment in humans with cancer-prone diseases.

AlkB influences the chloroacetaldehyde-induced mutation spectra and toxicity in the pSP189 supF shuttle vector

2-Chloroacetaldehyde (CAA), a metabolite of the carcinogen vinyl chloride, reacts with DNA to form cyclic etheno ()-lesions. AlkB, an iron-/alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase, repairs 1, N (6)-ethenodeoxyadenosine (A) and 3, N (4)-ethenodeoxycytidine (C) in site-specifically modified single-stranded viral genomes in vivo and also protects the E. coli genome from the toxic effects of CAA. We examined the role of AlkB as a cellular defense against CAA by characterizing the frequencies, types, and distributions of mutations induced in the double-stranded supF gene of pSP189 damaged in vitro and replicated in AlkB-proficient (AlkB (+)) and AlkB-deficient (AlkB (-)) E. coli. AlkB reduced mutagenic potency and increased the survival of CAA-damaged plasmids. Toxicity and mutagenesis data were benchmarked to levels of -adducts and DNA strand breaks measured by LC-MS/MS and a plasmid nicking assay. CAA treatment caused dose-dependent increases in A, C, and 1, N (2)-ethenodeoxyguanosine (1, N (2)-G) and small increases in strand breaks and abasic sites. Mutation frequency increased in plasmids replicated in both AlkB (+) and AlkB (-) cells; however, at the maximum CAA dose, the mutation frequency was 5-fold lower in AlkB (+) than in AlkB (-) cells, indicating that AlkB protected the genome from CAA lesions. Most induced mutations in AlkB (-) cells were G:C to A:T transitions, with lesser numbers of G:C to T:A transversions and A:T to G:C transitions. G:C to A:T and A:T to G:C transitions were lower in AlkB (+) cells than in AlkB (-) cells. Mutational hotspots at G122, G123, and G160 were common to both cell types. Three additional hotspots were found in AlkB (-) cells (C133, T134, and G159), with a decrease in mutation frequency and change in mutational signature in AlkB (+) cells. These results suggest that the AlkB protein contributes to the elimination of exocyclic DNA base adducts, suppressing the toxic and mutagenic consequences induced by this damage and contributing to genetic stability.

Lipid peroxidation dominates the chemistry of DNA adduct formation in a mouse model of inflammation

In an effort to define the prevalent DNA damage chemistry-associated chronic inflammation, we have quantified 12 DNA damage products in tissues from the SJL mouse model of nitric oxide (NO) overproduction. Using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/MS and immunoblot techniques, we analyzed spleen, liver and kidney from RcsX-stimulated and control mice for the level of the following adducts: the DNA oxidation products 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG), guanidinohydantoin (Gh), oxazolone (Ox); 5-guanidino-4-nitroimidazole (NitroIm); spiroiminodihydantoin (Sp) and M(1)dG; the nitrosative deamination products 2'-deoxyxanthosine, 2'-deoxyoxanosine (dO), 2'-deoxyinosine and 2'-deoxyuridine and the lipid peroxidation-derived adducts 1,N(6)-etheno-deoxyadenosine and 1,N(2)-etheno-deoxyguanosine. The levels of dO, Gh, Ox, NitroIm and Sp were all below a detection limit of approximately 1 lesion per 10(7) bases. Whereas there were only modest increases in the spleens of RcsX-treated compared with control mice for the nucleobase deamination products (10-30%) and the DNA oxidation products 8-oxodG (10%) and M(1)dG (50%), there were large (3- to 4-fold) increases in the levels of 1,N(6)-etheno-deoxyadenosine and 1,N(2)-etheno-deoxyguanosine. Similar results were obtained with the liver and with an organ not considered to be a target for inflammation in the SJL mouse, the kidney. This latter observation suggests that oxidative and nitrosative stresses associated with inflammation can affect tissues at a distance from the activated macrophages responsible for NO overproduction during chronic inflammation. These results reveal the complexity of NO chemistry in vivo and support an important role for lipids in the pathophysiology of inflammation.

New ultrasensitive 32P-postlabelling method for the analysis of 3,N4-etheno-2'-deoxycytidine in human urine

Etheno-DNA adducts are generated from exogenous carcinogens such as vinyl chloride and urethane and also from endogenous lipid peroxidation products such as trans-4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE). The present authors and others have established that 1,N6-ethenodeoxyadenosine (epsilondA) and 3,N4-ethenodeoxycytidine (epsilondC) are present in human urine and could be explored as biomarkers for monitoring whole-body oxidative stress. The present study reports on a new ultrasensitive 32P-postlabelling/thin-layer chromatography (TLC) method for the analysis of epsilondC as deoxynucleoside in human urine. The urine samples were purified and enriched on a solid-phase silica C-18 column followed by a semi-preparative reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The purified sample was labelled with a multisubstrate deoxyribonucleoside kinase from Drosophila melanogaster (Dm-dNK) in the presence of 5'-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) as internal standard. The absolute sensitivity of the method was 0.1 fmol epsilondC detectable in 500 microl of human urine. The analysis of human urine samples from 15 healthy volunteers revealed a mean epsilondC level of 2.49+/-1.76 (SD) fmol micromol-1 creatinine (range 0.66-6.42). By this non-invasive method, epsilondC in human urine could be explored as a biomarker for oxidative stress-related human diseases.

Quantification of urinary etheno-DNA adducts by column-switching LC/APCI-MS/MS

Lipid peroxidation induced etheno-DNA adducts are promutagenic and have been suggested to play a causal role in the development of human cancers. Therefore, human biomonitoring of etheno-DNA adducts in urine has been suggested as a potential marker for oxidative stress-related DNA damage. For quantitative determination, a column-switching LC/APCI-MS/MS method was developed for simultaneous analysis of epsilonAde, epsilondC, and epsilondA in human urine. Quantitative validation parameters (precision, within-day repeatability, and between-day reproducibility) yielded satisfactory results below 10%. Limit of quantification for epsilonAde, epsilondC, and epsilondA was 5.3 fmol, 7.5 fmol, and 1.3 fmol on column, respectively. Mean urinary excretion rates of a six healthy volunteers were 45.8 pmol epsilonAde/24 h, 96.8 pmol epsilondC/24 h, and 18.1 pmol epsilondA/24 h. The demonstrated levels of performance suggest a future applicability of this method to studies of cancer and other diseases related to oxidative stress in humans. To our knowledge, this is the first method described that allows simultaneous determination of epsilonAde, epsilondC, and epsilondA in human urine samples.

Determination of DMF modified DNA base N4-methylcarbamoylcytosine in human urine using off-line sample clean-up, two-dimensional LC and ESI-MS/MS detection

A sensitive internal standard method for the analysis of a DNA-adduct of N,N-dimethylformamide (N4-methylcarbamoylcytosine, NMC-C) in human urine has been developed. A sample pre-treatment involving an acidic hydrolysis is followed by the sample clean-up performed with solid-phase extraction (SPE) technique using a cation-exchange resin. A two-dimensional liquid chromatography is used to separate the target analyte from the matrix using first a C18 reversed phase column with incorporated hydrophilic moieties and then a C8 bonded reversed phase column for the final separation. Quantification is carried out by positive electrospray ionisation and mass spectrometry detection of the transitions from molecule ions to product ions (169-->112 and 172-->115) for the analyte and the labelled internal standard, respectively. The detection limit in urine reaches down to 8 ng/L (48 pmol/L). In the general population NMC-C could not be detected. In 10 out of 32 urine samples of occupationally to DMF exposed subjects NMC-C could be detected. The concentrations ranged up to 172 ng/L (1023 pmol/L) with a 95th percentile of 121 ng/L (720 pmol/L).

Quantification of urinary excretion of 1,N6-ethenoadenine, a potential biomarker of lipid peroxidation, in humans by stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry: comparison with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Etheno DNA adducts are promutagenic DNA lesions derived from exogenous as well as endogenous sources. The levels of etheno adducts in tissue DNA are elevated in cancer prone tissues, and the urinary excretion of etheno adducts is associated with oxidative stress. In this report, a new assay based on isotope dilution liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) is developed for the quantification of 1,N(6)-ethenoadenine (epsilonAde) in human urine samples without the need for derivatization. Sample purification before analysis by MS only requires a reversed phase solid phase extraction column. Two multiple reaction monitoring transitions with two product ion fragments generated from a common parent ion were used to quantify urinary epsilonAde. The detection limit of epsilonAde using LC-ESI-MS/MS is 2 pg injected standard epsilonAde on-column, and the assay allows accurate quantification of urinary epsilonAde at concentrations higher than 10 pg/mL. The presence of epsilonAde in human urine is confirmed by the collision-induced daughter ion spectrum. Using this assay, the levels of epsilonAde in the 24 h urine samples from 18 healthy individuals are determined, and the results are in very good agreement with those obtained using isotope dilution gas chromatography-negative ion chemical ionization-mass spectrometry. The high specificity and simple sample pretreatment of this LC-ESI-MS/MS method render it a valuable tool in measuring epsilonAde in the complex mixture of human urine as a promising noninvasive biomarker for DNA damage associated with oxidative stress and for cancer chemoprevention studies.

Urinary excretion of 3,N4-etheno-2'-deoxycytidine in humans as a biomarker of oxidative stress: association with cigarette smoking

Smokers are known to have elevated levels of lipid peroxidation, a form of oxidative stress. Etheno DNA adduct formation can originate from endogenous lipid peroxidation or from exogenous exposure of carcinogens. Using a modified stable isotope dilution GC/negative ion chemical ionization/MS assay originally developed for urinary 3,N(4)-ethenocytosine (epsilonCyt), the nucleoside 3,N(4)-etheno-2'-deoxycytidine (epsilondCyd) was detected for the first time in human urine. The presence of epsilondCyd in human urine was confirmed by LC/electrospray ionization/tandem MS. Concentrations of epsilondCyd in the 24 h urine samples from healthy individuals not occupationally exposed to industrial chemicals were in the range between 0 and 0.80 nM. A statistically significant correlation was established between cigarette smoking and urinary excretion of epsilondCyd after being adjusted for creatinine (p = 0.004). Furthermore, the urinary total antioxidant capacity was found to correlate inversely with the epsilondCyd levels (r = -0.50, p = 0.02). The results indicate that urinary epsilondCyd may provide a valuable noninvasive biomarker for oxidative DNA damage.

Derivatization in mass spectrometry-3. Alkylation (arylation)

The review is devoted to alkylation (arylation) as a widely employed derivatization procedure for the protection of OH (carboxylic acids, phosphoric acids, sulfonic acids, alcohols, polyols, phenols, enols), SH (thiols) and NH (amines, amides) groups in order to increase volatility, to improve the chromatographic properties and, if possible, mass spectral properties of derivatives. Chemical aspects of derivatization and various alkylation (arylation) reagents and reaction procedures are described. Specific mass spectral (electron ionization, chemical ionization) features of derivatives helpful in identification, structure elucidation, profiling and quantitative determination of the above-mentioned polar compounds by coupled gas chromatography or high-performance liquid chromatography are discussed. Some common analytical applications of the procedures in organic chemistry, clinical chemistry, environmental chemistry etc. are briefly summarized.

Detection and quantification of 1,N6-ethenoadenine in human urine by stable isotope dilution capillary gas chromatography/negative ion chemical ionization/mass spectrometry

1,N(6)-Ethenoadenine (epsilonAde) is a promutagenic lesion detected in tissue DNA; it has been shown that epsilonAde can be repaired by human DNA glycosylases, and it is expected to be excreted in urine. In this paper, we present for the first time detection and accurate quantification of epsilonAde in human urine samples by a highly sensitive and specific stable isotope dilution gas chromatography/negative ion chemical ionization/mass spectrometric assay (GC/NICI/MS). Analysis by GC/NICI/MS includes adduct enrichment by a solid phase extraction column, followed by electrophore labeling and postderivatization cleanup. Using selective ion monitoring mode, the assay allows quantification of 0.5 pg of epsilonAde in as little as 0.1 mL of the urine sample, which is equivalent to corresponding concentration quantification limit of 31 pM. Using this assay, concentrations of epsilonAde in the 24 h urine samples of 23 healthy individuals were determined, which ranged from 0 to 124 pg/mL. After we adjusted for creatinine, a statistically significant correlation was found between epsilonAde excretion and cigarette smoking in males (p = 0.03). Thus, this stable isotope dilution GC/NICI/MS assay offers a sensitive and accurate quantification of urinary epsilonAde as a potential biomarker for oxidative damage of DNA and repair.

Liquid chromatography method for the analysis of adenosine compounds

A newly available chromatography column packing material that employs hybrid particle technology was used to improve the analysis of adenosine compounds. Using a TBAS buffer/acetonitrile gradient this material permits separation of etheno-adenosine compounds in less than 4 min with excellent resolution and sensitivity (50 fmol). Variability of compound quantification is small (coefficients of variation 0.23+/-0.14% for 50 pmol and 1.70+/-0.53% for 0.5 pmol). The new method is well suited for the analysis of adenosine compounds in small biological samples and permits a high sample throughput in autosampler setups with high precision and reproducibility.

Progress in the analysis of urinary oxidative DNA damage

Oxidative DNA damage has been implicated to be important in the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cancer and heart disease. The assessment of damage in various biological matrices, such as DNA, serum, and urine, is vital to understanding this role and subsequently devising intervention strategies. Despite the numerous techniques to measure oxidative DNA damage products in urine, it remains unclear what these measurements truly represent. Sources of urinary lesions may include the diet, cell death, and, of most interest, DNA repair. Were it possible to exclude the two former contributions, a noninvasive assay for DNA repair would be invaluable in the study of DNA damage and disease. This review highlights that, although progress has been made, significant work remains. Diet, cell death, and repair need continued examination to further elucidate the kinetics of lesion formation and clearance in vivo. Studies from our laboratory and others are making appreciable progress towards the interpretation of urinary lesion measurements along with the development of urinary assays to evaluate DNA repair. Upon establishment of these details, urinary oxidative DNA damage measurements may become more than a reflection of generalized oxidative stress.

Analysis of ethenoguanine adducts in human urine using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Several chemical carcinogens, such as vinyl chloride and ethyl carbamate, can react with DNA to form etheno-adducts in vitro and in vivo, which can be repaired through the base excision repair pathway, and then excreted with the urine. A specific and sensitive method, based on high performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry, was developed for the detection of ethenoguanines (1,N2-ethenoguanine and its isomer N2,3 ethenoguanine) in urine. Urine samples were obtained from 13 healthy subjects not occupationally exposed to industrial chemicals. A confirmatory GC/MS method was also applied. Ethenoguanine isomers excreted with the urine were in the low nmol/l range (<0.3-8 nmol/l). Since occupational exposure to chemicals that may form etheno-adducts can be ruled out, endogenously produced intermediates, such as 2,3-epoxy-4-hydroxynonanal, may be responsible for the formation of etheno-adducts in human DNA. The background level of the general population has to be taken into account, especially in the investigation of persons occupationally exposed to etheno-adduct forming chemicals.

Detection and quantification of 5-chlorocytosine in DNA by stable isotope dilution and gas chromatography/negative ion chemical ionization/mass spectrometry

Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is generated from activated phagocytes during infections and inflammation. One of the major products of HOCl reaction with DNA was 5-chlorocytosine (5Cl-Cyt). In this report, a gas chromatography/negative ion chemical ionization/mass spectrometry (GC/NICI/MS) assay with stable isotope dilution was developed for detection and quantification of 5Cl-Cyt in DNA. During hydrolysis of DNA, 5Cl-Cyt undergoes spontaneous deamination quantitatively forming 5-chlorouracil (5Cl-Ura). The stable isotope of 5Cl-Ura with six mass units higher than the normal 5Cl-Ura was synthesized and used as internal standard of the assay. The adduct-enriched fraction of DNA hydrolysate was derivatized with pentafluorobenzyl bromide before GC/NICI/MS analysis with selected ion monitoring at [M - 181](-) fragments of bispentafluorobenzylated 5Cl-Ura and its isotope analogue. The limit of detection was 20 amol (S/N = 8) of bispentafluorobenzylated 5Cl-Ura injected on column with selective ion monitoring mode and the limit of quantification for the entire assay was 14 fmol of 5Cl-Cyt. Analysis of hypochlorous acid-treated calf thymus DNA by both GC/NICI/MS and HPLC/UV detection provided similar adduct levels and thus verified this new GC/NICI/MS assay. Using this highly specific and ultrasensitive GC/NICI/MS method, the levels of 5Cl-Cyt in untreated calf thymus DNA and human placental DNA were determined as 0.6 and 6.6 adducts per 10(7) normal cytosine, respectively. Peroxynitrite also contributed to 5Cl-Cyt formation in DNA. Level of 5Cl-Cyt in DNA treated with peroxynitrite in the presence of chloride was higher than that without addition of chloride. Thus, quantification of 5Cl-Cyt in DNA by this isotope dilution GC/NICI/MS assay may facilitate research on the role of DNA chlorination in carcinogenesis and in cancer development.