DNA damage evaluation in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients, using the comet assay

ESRD is associated with a high incidence of cardiovascular diseases and cancerand is characterized by a condition of immunodeficiency. Among the severalpathogenic mechanisms suggested to explain these phenomena there are uremiaper se, microinflammation and oxidative stress, which involves the whole cellstructure (proteins, membrane lipids, carbohydrates and DNA). Great interest hasrecently been paid to oxidative DNA damage because of its genetic consequences,linked to early aging, neurodegenerative diseases, atherosclerosis, mutagenesisand carcinogenesis. The genome damage to the lymphocytes of peripheral bloodhas been widely used as a biomarker of carcinogenesis from genotoxicenvironmental factors, and long-term studies have demonstrated its validity andhigh clinical predictivity. In our study, we investigated DNA damage in PDpatients and healthy control group. The amount of DNA damage in lymphocytesisolated from peripheral blood with comet test method was measured in the formof tail length and tail intensity. We studied with, age and sex matched 27 PDpatients and 25 healthy subjects. DNA damage was significantly higher in PDpatients than the control group. As the duration of PD treatment got longer, astatistically nonsignificant increase in DNA damage was observed. There was norelation between DNA damage and anemia. But, in DM patients and in patientswith ferritin level higher than 500 an increase in DNA damage was observed.There was no statistically significant difference between the patients who treatedwith erythropoietin and vitamin D in last six months and who patients not treated.As a result, the significantly higher DNA damage in PD patients when compairedto control group may be releated to chronic renal failure, disease progression andPD. The amount of DNA damage can increase more with diabetes mellitus andhigher serum ferritine levels.