Oxygen radicals and asbestos carcinogenesis.

Asbestos fibers have been shown to generate reactive oxygen species using a variety of in vitro assays. It is hypothesized that these highly reactive metabolites mediate the development of malignant mesothelioma induced by asbestos fibers. DNA is a potential target of oxidant attack. Adaptive responses to oxidant injury have been described during exposure of mesothelial cells to asbestos fibers in vitro. Failure of these adaptive responses may lead to genetic instability and alterations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes that confer a proliferative advantage to emerging neoplastic mesothelial cells.