Oxidative DNA damage: assessment of the role in carcinogenesis, atherosclerosis, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Free radical attack upon DNA generates a multiplicity of DNA damage, including modified bases. Some of these modifications have considerable potential to damage the integrity of the genome. This article reviews recent data that suggest the involvement of oxidative DNA damage in carcinogenesis, atherosclerosis, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). There is evidence that oxidative DNA damage may play a causative role in atherosclerosis. Oxidative DNA damage may lead to apoptotic cell death of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and may influence the progression of AIDS. While many details regarding the role of reactive oxygen species-induced DNA damage in the etiology of complex multifactorial diseases like cancer are yet to be discovered, evidence suggests that oxidants act at several stages in the malignant transformation of cells. However, the quantitative relationship between the measured DNA damage and the development of cancer is still lacking.