Interaction of thiols and non-thiol {center_dot}OH scavengers in the modification of radiation-induced DNA damage

Oxygen has long been known to sensitize cells to the lethal effects of ionizing radiation and is widely believed to do so by the fixation of potentially reversible radical damage to cellular DNA. A number of studies have suggested that this widely observed oxygen enhancement of cell killing requires the presence of reduced thiols. Published in vitro studies of the modification of DNA damage by glutathione or other thiols have generally shown peak oxygen enhancement ratios (OERs) much higher than those observed for cell killing. However, these studies measured loss of DNA transforming activity or induction of single-strand DNA breaks (SSBs), related endpoints which are not thought to represent lethal lesions, rather than double-strand breaks (DSBs), which are generally believed to be the dominant lethal lesions from ionizing radiation. In addition, non-thiol scavengers of OH radicals were not generally present. There is also evidence that, in addition to their protective effects, some non-thiol {center_dot}OH scavengers can produce radicals which are damaging to DNA under anoxic conditions. In the present investigation, the authors have adapted a previously used in vitro model system to simultaneously investigate the effects on radiation-induced single- and double-strand DNA breaks of various combinations of glutathione and glycerol,more » a widely used non-thiol scavenger, in the presence and absence of oxygen.« less