Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a potential photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy. In this study, the mechanism of DNA damage catalyzed by photo-irradiated TiO2 was examined using [32P]-5'-end-labeled DNA fragments obtained from human genes. Photo-irradiated TiO2 (anatase and rutile) caused DNA cleavage frequently at the guanine residue in the presence of Cu(II) after E. coli formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase treatment, and the thymine residue was also cleaved after piperidine treatment. Catalase, SOD and bathocuproine, a chelator of Cu(I), inhibited the DNA damage, suggesting the involvement of hydrogen peroxide, superoxide and Cu(I). The photocatalytic generation of Cu(I) from Cu(II) was decreased by the addition of SOD. These findings suggest that the inhibitory effect of SOD on DNA damage is due to the inhibition of the reduction of Cu(II) by superoxide. We also measured the formation of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine, an indicator of oxidative DNA damage, and showed that anatase is more active than rutile. On the other hand, high concentration of anatase caused DNA damage in the absence of Cu(II). Typical free hydroxyl radical scavengers, such as ethanol, mannnitol, sodium formate and DMSO, inhibited the copper-independent DNA photodamage by anatase. In conclusion, photo-irradiated TiO2 particles catalyze the copper-mediated site-specific DNA damage via the formation of hydrogen peroxide rather than that of a free hydroxyl radical. This DNA-damaging mechanism may participate in the phototoxicity of TiO2.

Sanguinarine, a plant alkaloid, was identified as a potent and specific protein phosphatase (PP) 2C inhibitor. It inhibited PP2C competitively with respect to alpha-casein (Ki=0.68 microM) and showed selectivity for PP2C as compared with PP1, PP2A, and PP2B in vitro. In vivo, sanguinarine showed cytotoxicity toward human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL60, with an IC(50) value of 0.37 microM, and induced apoptosis through a caspase-3/7-dependent mechanism involving the phosphorylation of p38, a PP2Calpha substrate. The apoptosis activity induced by sanguinarine was partially inhibited by a p38 inhibitor, SB203580, and was involved in the phospho-p38 protein in HL60 cells.

UVA contributes to skin cancer by solar UV light. Photosensitizers are believed to play an important role in UVA carcinogenesis. We investigated the mechanism of DNA damage induced by photoexcited xanthone (XAN) analogues (XAN, thioxanthone [TXAN] and acridone [ACR]), exogenous photosensitizers, and the relationship between the DNA-damaging abilities and their highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energies. DNA damage by these photosensitizers was examined using 32P-labeled DNA fragments obtained from the p53 tumor suppressor gene. Photoexcited XAN caused DNA cleavage specifically at 5'-G of the GG sequence in the double-stranded DNA only when the DNA fragments were treated with piperidine, suggesting that DNA cleavage is due to base modification with little or no strand breakage. With denatured single-stranded DNA, the extent of XAN-sensitized photodamage was decreased. An oxidative product of G, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dGuo), was formed by photoexcited XAN, and the 8-oxo-dGuo formation was decreased in single-stranded DNA. TXAN and ACR induced DNA photodamage as did XAN, although the order of DNA-damaging ability was XAN > TXAN > ACR. These findings suggest that photoexcited XAN analogues induce nucleobase oxidation at 5'-G of GG sequence in double-stranded DNA through electron transfer. The HOMO energies of these photosensitizers, estimated from ab initio molecular orbital (MO) calculation, decreased in the following order: XAN > TXAN > ACR. Extents of DNA damage increased exponentially with the HOMO energies of XAN analogues. This study suggests that DNA-damaging abilities of photosensitizers can be estimated from their HOMO energies.

UVA contributes to skin cancer by solar UV light. Photosensitizers are believed to play an important role in UVA carcinogenesis. We investigated the mechanism of DNA damage induced by photoexcited xanthone (XAN) analogues (XAN, thioxanthone [TXAN] and acridone [ACR]), exogenous photosensitizers, and the relationship between the DNA‐damaging abilities and their highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energies. DNA damage by these photosensitizers was examined using 32P‐labeled DNA fragments obtained from the p53 tumor suppressor gene. Photoexcited XAN caused DNA cleavage specifically at 5′‐G of the GG sequence in the double‐stranded DNA only when the DNA fragments were treated with piperidine, suggesting that DNA cleavage is due to base modification with little or no strand breakage. With denatured single‐stranded DNA, the extent of XAN‐sensitized photodamage was decreased. An oxidative product of G, 8‐oxo‐7,8‐dihydro‐2′‐deoxyguanosine (8‐oxo‐dGuo), was formed by photoexcited XAN, and the 8‐oxo‐dGuo formation was decreased in single‐stranded DNA. TXAN and ACR induced DNA photodamage as did XAN, although the order of DNA‐damaging ability was XAN > TXAN > ACR. These findings suggest that photoexcited XAN analogues induce nucleobase oxidation at 5′‐G of GG sequence in double‐stranded DNA through electron transfer. The HOMO energies of these photosensitizers, estimated from ab initio molecular orbital (MO) calculation, decreased in the following order: XAN > TXAN > ACR. Extents of DNA damage increased exponentially with the HOMO energies of XAN analogues. This study suggests that DNA‐damaging abilities of photosensitizers can be estimated from their HOMO energies.

Photosensitized DNA damage participates in solar-UV carcinogenesis, photogenotoxicity and phototoxicity. A chemoprevention of photosensitized DNA damage is one of the most important methods for the above phototoxic effects. In this study, the chemopreventive action of xanthone (XAN) derivatives (bellidifolin [BEL], gentiacaulein [GEN], norswertianin [NOR] and swerchirin [SWE]) on DNA damage photosensitized by riboflavin was demonstrated using [32P]-5'-end-labeled DNA fragments obtained from genes relevant to human cancer. GEN and NOR effectively inhibited the formation of piperidine-labile products at consecutive G residues by photoexcited riboflavin, whereas BEL and SWE did not show significant inhibition of DNA damage. The four XAN derivatives decrease the formation of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodGuo), an oxidative product of G, by photoexcited riboflavin. The preventive action for the 8-oxodGuo formation of these XAN derivatives increased in the following order: GEN>NOR>>BEL>SWE. A fluorescence spectroscopic study and ab initio molecular orbital calculations suggested that the prevention of DNA photodamage is because of the quenching of the triplet excited state of riboflavin by XAN derivatives through electron transfer. This chemoprevention is based on neither antioxidation nor a physical sunscreen effect; rather, it is based on the quenching of a photosensitizer. In conclusion, XAN derivatives, especially GEN, may act as novel chemopreventive agents by the quenching mechanism of an excited photosensitizer.