Enzymatic recognition of DNA damage induced by UVB-photosensitized titanium dioxide and biological consequences in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Evidence for oxidatively DNA damage generation

Although titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been considered to be biologically inert, finding use in cosmetics, paints and food colorants, recent reports have demonstrated that when TiO2 is attained by UVA radiation oxidative genotoxic and cytotoxic effects are observed in living cells. However, data concerning TiO2–UVB association is poor, even if UVB radiation represents a major environmental carcinogen. Herein, we investigated DNA damage, repair and mutagenesis induced by TiO2 associated with UVB irradiation in vitro and in vivo using Saccharomyces cerevisiae model. It was found that TiO2 plus UVB treatment in plasmid pUC18 generated, in addition to cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs), specific damage to guanine residues, such as 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoG) and 2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-5-formamidopyrimidine (FapyG), which are characteristic oxidatively generated lesions. In vivo experiments showed that, although the presence of TiO2 protects yeast cells from UVB cytotoxicity, high mutation frequencies are observed in the wild-type (WT) and in an ogg1 strain (deficient in 8-oxoG and FapyG repair). Indeed, after TiO2 plus UVB treatment, induced mutagenesis was drastically enhanced in ogg1 cells, indicating that mutagenic DNA lesions are repaired by the Ogg1 protein. This effect could be attenuated by the presence of metallic ion chelators: neocuproine or dipyridyl, which partially block oxidatively generated damage occurring via Fenton reactions. Altogether, the results indicate that TiO2 plus UVB potentates UVB oxidatively generated damage to DNA, possibly via Fenton reactions involving the production of DNA base damage, such as 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine.