Protective effect of spermine on DNA exposed to oxidative stress

Pathological conditions that cause oxidative stress can affect DNA integrity. The aim of this research was to study the protective effect of spermine against DNA damage induced by an oxygen-radical generating system. Deoxyguanosine and DNA were separately dissolved in phosphate buffer and incubated for 1 h at 40°C in the presence of 50 mMH₂O₂/10 mM ascorbic acid. Single nucleosides and their products of oxidation were then obtained by enzymatic digestion of DNA. The compounds were separated by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MECC) with SDS-modified mobile phase and detected at 254 nm. Two major products of DNA oxidation have been identified as derivatives of deoxyguanosine with electrophoretic properties different from 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine. When the oxidation of DNA was carried out in the presence of 0.1 mM spermine, the formation of the two by-products of deoxyguanosine was markedly reduced. On the contrary, spermine did not prevent the oxidation of deoxyguanosine alone, suggesting that the polyamine should be bound to the DNA strands to exert its antioxidative effect.