Lipid Peroxidation Product-Mediated DNA Damage and Mutagenicity

Membrane lipid peroxidation processes yield products that may react with DNA to cause mutations. Lipid hydroperoxides from linoleic acid in the presence of transition metal ions caused strand breaks in plasmid DNA. DNA damage induced by reactive aldehydes known to be produced by decomposition of lipid hydroperoxides, such as 4-hydroxynonenal or rnalondialdehyde, was repaired by endonucleases and exonuclease III which resulted in the increase of single strand breaks in DNA. Lipid hydroperoxides as well as malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxynonenal also caused mutations in the pUC18 lacZ' gene when measured as a loss of ${\alpha}-cornplementation$. In conclusion. the lipid peroxidation could be an important intermediary event in DNA damage and mutation by oxidative stress.