Deficient DNA repair exacerbates ethanol-initiated DNA oxidation and embryopathies in ogg1 knockout mice: gender risk and protection by a free radical spin trapping agent.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in the teratogenicity of alcohol (ethanol, EtOH). To determine the involvement of embryonic oxidative DNA damage, DNA repair-deficient oxoguanine glycosylase 1 (ogg1) knockout embryos were exposed in culture to EtOH (2 or 4 mg/ml), with or without pretreatment with the free radical spin trap phenylbutylnitrone (PBN) (0.125 mM). Visceral yolk sacs were used to genotype embryos for DNA repair status and gender. EtOH caused a concentration-dependent decrease in anterior neuropore closure (ANPC), somite development, turning, crown-rump length (CRL), yolk sac diameter (YSD) and head length (HL) (p < 0.001) in all 3 ogg1 genotypes. There was a further ogg1 gene dose-dependent decrease from +/+ to -/- embryos in ANPC, somite development, turning, CRL and HL (p < 0.05), and a gene-dependent correlation between HL and ANPC (p < 0.01). Female embryos exhibited lesser ANPC and turning than males (p < 0.05), suggesting underlying gender-dependent target-specific determinants. PBN pretreatment increased ANPC, somite development, turning, CRL, YSD and HL (p < 0.001), although this protection against EtOH was slightly less effective in -/- embryos. Oxidatively damaged DNA determined as 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodGuo), which is repaired by OGG1, was measured in single embryos in vivo after maternal EtOH treatment (4 g/kg i.p). EtOH increased embryonic 8-oxodGuo in an ogg1 gene-dependent fashion, with the highest levels in -/- embryos. These results show that embryonic DNA repair status and gender are determinants of risk. ROS-initiated embryonic DNA oxidation is involved in EtOH embryopathies.