Mammalian cells are not killed by DNA single-strand breaks caused by hydroxyl radicals from hydrogen peroxide

Cell killing by ionizing radiation has been shown to be caused by hydroxyl free radicals formed by water radiolysis. The authors have previously suggested that the killing is not caused by individual OH free radicals but by the interaction of volumes of high radical density with DNA to cause locally multiple damaged sites (LMDS). Here they test this hypothesis using hydrogen dioxide as an alternate source of OH radicals. The route to OH production from H2O2 is expected to cause singly damaged sites rather than LMDS. Chinese hamster V79-171 cells were treated with H2O2 at varying concentrations for varying times at 00C. The yield of DNA damage produced increases with increasing concentration of H2O2 and with time of exposure. H2O2 is efficient in producing single-strand breaks; treatment with 50 μM for 30 min produces damage equivalent to that formed by 10 Gy of α irradiation. In the presence of a hydroxyl radical scavenger, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), the yield of damage decreases with increasing DMSO concentration consistent with the scavenging of hydroxyl radicals. In contrast to DNA damage production, cell killing by H2O2 treatment at 00C is inefficient. The conclusion drawn is that individual DNA damage sites are ineffectual in killing cells. Mechanisms are suggested for killing at 00C at high concentrations and for the efficient cell killing by H2O2 at 370C at much lower concentrations