Different susceptibility to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)-inducedDNA damage in lung tissue in male and female non-smokers

The levels of benzo(a)pyrene diol-epoxide (BPDE)-DNA adducts and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were analysed in a limited number of samples o f autoptic lung tissue obtained from non-professionally exposed male (n=13) and female (n=12) non-smokers in an attempt to evaluate the relationship b etween gender, lung PAH levels (n = 25) and susceptibility to BPDE-DNA addu ct formation (n = 18). Lung concentrations of chrysene, benzo(g,h,i)perylen e and benzo(a)pyrene were significantly higher in males than in females (P< 0.05), whereas BPDE-DNA adduct levels were similar in both genders: 1.64 +/ - 0.42 per 10(8) bases (<mu>+/-SE) in males (n = 9) and 1.88 +/- 0.64 per 1 0(8) bases in females (n = 9). Although the sample size of this study precl udes any generalization, the observed data suggest that there is a potentia lly higher risk of PAH-induced lung DNA damage in females than in males.