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Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Comet Assay as an Indirect Measure of Systemic Oxidative Stress
Published on: May 22, 2015
Investigating oxidative DNA damage and its repair using the comet assay
1Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, PB 1046 Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway. a.r.collins@medisin.uio.no
Abstract:
The comet assay is not the only way to measure oxidative DNA damage, but it is one of the most sensitive and accurate, being relatively free of artefacts. It is a valuable tool in population monitoring, for example in assessing the role of oxidative stress in human disease, and in monitoring the effects of dietary antioxidants. A simple modification allows the measurement of DNA repair. In combination with the analysis of polymorphisms in relevant genes, the comet assay - especially when adapted for analysis of large numbers of samples - can provide important information on the interactions between genetic variation and environmental factors in maintaining genome stability.

