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Ultraviolet B-induced DNA damage in human skin and its modulation by a sunscreen
V J Bykov1, J A Marcusson, K Hemminki
1Department of Biosciences at Novum, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, Sweden.
Abstract:
The UVB component of solar radiation is a risk factor for skin cancer, the most common cancer in the Western world. Yet little is known about the induction of DNA damage in human skin by UVB and its modulation by sunscreens. Here, we apply a novel postlabeling high-performance liquid chromatography technique to quantify UVB-induced photoproducts in skin biopsies with and without sunscreen. The results showed approximately 30-fold interindividual variations in levels of DNA damage in unprotected skin of the 14 subjects, probably relating to skin cancer susceptibility. On average, sunscreen guards against DNA damage as expected by the erythemal response, but some individuals are poorly protected.