FERRITIN ENHANCES PRODUCTION OF DNA STRAND BREAKS BY 6-HYDROXYDOPAMINE, ASCORBIC-ACID AND H2O2 IN CCC-PM2 BACTERIOPHAGE DNA

Damage of CCC PM2 DNA by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and ascorbic acid (AA), compounds that are both able to release iron from ferritin, was significantly enhanced in the presence of ferritin. H2O2, a product of 6-OHDA autoxidation, did not induce DNA strand breaks in the absence of ferritin and only to a minor extent in the presence of ferritin. DNA damage by 6-OHDA and AA could be reduced by the hydroxyl radical scavenger mannitol, the iron chelator desferrioxamine, and, partly, by a combination of superoxide dismutase and catalase. These inhibitory effects were clearly less pronounced in the presence of ferritin. Ferritin obviously played an important role as a source of iron in the pro-oxidative processes of 6-OHDA and AA. These features might be of importance in cancer therapy since many tumor cells contain elevated ferritin levels.