DNA damage and repair mechanisms
Oxidative stress by fatty acids, known as lipid peroxidation, results in the generation of carbonyl compounds, which react with DNA molecules to form lesion-like adducts. The presence of DNA-adducts has been shown to limit DNA synthesis and trigger cellular repair mechanisms aimed at their removal. The two major repair pathways involved are the nucleotide excision repair (NER) system and DNA recombination. Studies on DNA-adducts suggest that lipid peroxidation and the formation of adducts could be linked to the pathogenesis of breast and colon cancers. Furthermore, the relationship between lipid peroxidation and cancer in patients with affected cellular repair systems poses further scope for research. Specifically, tissue samples from colon cancer patients in Norway and Poland revealed a marked inactivity of the repair mechanisms used to remove DNA adducts in cancerous tissue. Shedding light on these aspects of cancer pathology might prove instrumental in the diagnosis and effective treatment of these conditions in the future.
