Thymine hydroperoxides nucleoside

Addition of a radical to the C6-position of thymine residues in DNA generates the C5-thymine radical 74 (Scheme 8.27). Reaction with molecular oxygen, followed by reduction, yields the hydroperoxide 75. Decomposition of the hydroperoxide ultimately yields the hydantoin nucleobase 78 via the ring-opened derivatives 76 and 77 ti,2 for the decomposition of 75 in aqueous solution is slow, with a 9 h for the tra i-isomer and 20 h for the c -isomer of the nucleoside)... 

Interestingly, one-electron oxidants partly mimic the effects of OH radicals in their oxidizing reactions with the thymine moiety of nucleosides and DNA. In fact, the main reaction of OH radicals with 1 is addition at C-5 that yields reducing radicals in about 60% yield [34, 38]. The yield of OH radical addition at C-6 is 35% for thymidine (1) whereas the yield of hydrogen abstraction on the methyl group that leads to the formation of 5-methyl-(2 -de-oxyuridylyl) radical (9) is a minor process (5%). Thus, the two major differences in terms of product analysis between the oxidation of dThd by one-electron oxidants and that by the OH radical are the distribution of thymidine 5-hydroxy-6-hydroperoxide diastereomers and the overall percentage of methyl oxidation products. 

There are no available data on the formation of hydroperoxides derived from DNA within cells. This is likely explained, at least partly, by the fact that DNA is a poorer target than proteins for OH radical as observed upon exposure of mouse myeloma cells to ionizing radiation . However, indirect evidence for DNA peroxidation within cells may be inferred from the measurement of final degradation products that may derive from thymine and guanine hydroperoxidation as the result of oxidation reactions mediated by OH radical and O2, respectively (Sections n.A.2 and n.E.2). It may be pointed out that the measurement of oxidized bases and nucleosides within DNA has been the subject of intense research during the last decade and accurate methods are now available . This includes DNA extraction that involves the chaotropic Nal precipitation step and the use of desferrioxamine to chelate transition metals in order to prevent spurious oxidation of overwhelming nucleobases to occur . HPLC coupled to electrospray ionization... 

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