Comparison of pulmonary DNA adduct levels, measured by 32P-postlabelling and aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity in lung parenchyma of smokers and ex-smokers
- 1 July 1991
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Carcinogenesis: Integrative Cancer Research
- Vol. 12 (7) , 1301-1305
- https://doi.org/10.1093/carcin/12.7.1301
Abstract
In order to compare pulmonary DNA adducts and aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activity, we have measured these two parameters in non-neoplastlc surgical lung parenchymal samples from four ex-smokers and 19 smokers, out of 20 patients operated for lung cancer, and three for non-malignant lung diseases. DNA adducts were determined by scintillation counting after 32P-postlabelling analysis. The microsomal fractions of the same lung specimen were assayed for AHH activity by a fluorometric method. Autoradiograms of DNA adducts found in lungs of smokers revealed two distinct diagonal radioactive zones that were absent in ex-smokers. The smokers had significantly higher levels (1.68–13.4 DNA adducts/108 nucleotides; mean ± SD 5.38 ± 3.19) than ex-smokers (0.23–2.21; 1.09 ± 0.84). AHH activity in smokers ranged from 0.01 to 0.69 pmol/min/mg. This activity was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in smokers (0.26 ± 0.26) who had smoked until 1 week before surgery than in those who had stopped smoking for r = 0.69; P < 0.001; n = 19) was found in smokers. This relationship could explain why AHH inducibility appears to be a crude marker for lung cancer risk in smokers.Keywords
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