Photosensitized oxidation of 2′-deoxyguanosine 5′-monophosphate: mechanism of the competitive reactions and product characterization

UV-A radiation (320-400 nm) induces modifications to different biomolecules through photosensitized reactions. Oxidized pterins are efficient photosensitizers that accumulate in the skin affected by vitiligo, and photoinduce the oxidation of guanine in a process initiated by an electron transfer from the nucleo-base to the triplet excited state of the photosensitizer. In this work, we have investigated the degradation of 2 '-deoxyguanosine 5 '-monophosphate (dGMP) photosensitized by pterin (Ptr), the parent compound of oxidized pterins, in aqueous solutions under UV-A irradiation. We have identified five products containing the oxidized guanine moiety: the deoxyribonucleoside 5 '-monophosphate derivatives of imidazolone, dehydroguanidinohydantoin, guanidinohydantoin, oxazolone and spiroiminodihydantoin. An additional product with a much higher molecular weight, denoted P680, was also detected. The MS/MS analyses show that this compound contains an intact guanine moiety and a modified one. The dependence of the rate of product formation in different experimental conditions was analyzed and a general mechanistic scheme is proposed.