Cytotoxicity and DNA damage induced by 1, 4-benzoquinone in v79 Chinese hamster lung cells

1,4-Benzoquinone (p-BQ) is a metabolite of benzene known to induce genotoxicity in vivo. The aim of this study was to determine whether it also produced genotoxicity in Chinese hamster V79 cells in vitro. In study 1, incubation with p-BQ at different concentrations (25-400 microM) for 2, 12, or 24 h was evaluated by the MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay to assess cell viability. In study 2, single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) was used to detect DNA damage in V79 cells after exposure to p-BQ at different concentrations (6.25-100 microM). In study 3, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was measured using flow cytometry. Data showed that when V79 cells were exposed to 100 microM p-BQ for 2 h, there was a significant increase in cell lethality. DNA damage was detected at concentrations from 6.25 to 100 microM and at time points of 2, 12, and 24 h. ROS production was increased sixfold in BQ-treated (50 microM) cells compared with control. The results of this study suggest that excess production of ROS may be a potential mechanism underlying DNA damage induced by p-BQ.