DNA damage from oxidants: influence of lesion complexity and chromatin organization

DNA damage by reactive oxygen species results in a spectrum of DNA lesions including single-strand breaks (ssb) and double-strand breaks (dsb). However, most damage is not lethal, and the location and nature of the DNA damage, in addition to total number of breaks, are likely to be critical in determining ultimate survival. Generally associated only with ionizing radiation, multiply damaged sites (i.e., complex lesions and clusters of complex lesions in DNA) are more likely to be lethal because they are less easily repaired. We examined five drugs known to cause DNA adducts, strand breaks, and reactive oxygen species for their ability to produce complex lesions: 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO), H2O2, doxorubicin, Tirapazamine, and etoposide. As indicators of lesion complexity we compared 1) the ratio of ssb to dsb, 2) the rate of rejoining of single-strand breaks, 3) the relative lethality of the breaks (number of breaks per mean lethal dose), and 4) the ability to produce complex lesions. Tirapazamine, etoposide, and doxorubicin gave dsb/ssb ratios similar to that for X-rays, whereas 4NQO and H2O2 showed dsb/ssb ratios of 200 and 3250, respectively. The number of dsb per LD50 varied from 2.5 to 500 for different drugs. There was no apparent relation between ssb rejoining half-time (3.5-85 min) and relative lethality or lesion complexity. A modified (nonionic detergent) filter elution method confirmed that tirapazamine, like ionizing radiation, produced multiple dsb within single chromatin domains. These data indicate that complex lesions can be produced by a number of different chemicals and suggest that the damage that results in killing by these drugs may be related to production of multiply damaged sites in DNA.