Biomarkers of oxidative stress and their application for assessment of individual radiosensitivity

The main biological effect of ionizing radiation is the induction of different types of DNA damages. Besides strand breaks, different types of chemical changes of the deoxynucleotides appear, i.e.base-damages, induced by free radicals. One common base-damage is 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG). 8-oxo-dG is removed from the DNA by the process of base and nucleotide excision repair and released from the cell. In our previous study we have shown that excretion of 8-oxo-dG (measured by HPLC-EC) into urine is significantly different in patients showing minor radiosensitivity during the first 6-7 days of radiotherapy as compared to patients with pronounced reactions. This information could be advantageous for adjustment of the total dose and add other therapy modalities and/or treatments to benefit cancer patients. We report herein on the evaluation of a novel ELISA approach for the detection of 8-oxo-dG in human serum. Background data on 8-oxo-dG levels in serum from healthy individuals and breast cancer patients will be discussed. Dose response curves, after irradiation of whole blood in vitro, for evaluation of individual radiosensitivity for both groups will also be discussed