DETECTION OF ENDOGENOUS MALONDIALDEHYDE-DEOXYGUANOSINE ADDUCTS IN HUMAN LIVER

Endogenous DNA adducts may contribute to the etiology of human genetic disease and cancer. One potential source of endogenous DNA adducts is lipid peroxidation, which generates mutagenic carbonyl compounds such as malondialdehyde. A sensitive mass spectrometric method permitted d etection and quantitation of the major malondialdehyde-DNA adduct, a p yrimidopurinone derived from deoxyguanosine. DNA from disease-free hum an liver was found to contain 5400 adducts per cell, a frequency compa rable to that of adducts formed by exogenous carcinogens.