Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS
Volume 50, Issue 9, Pages 771-780Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/em.20500
Keywords
benzene; catechol; toxicity; reactive oxygen species; DNA damage
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Benzene is a widespread volatile compound and an environmental contaminant. Since it causes important toxic effects in workers exposed to low levels, long-term exposure to this compound has been extensively studied. Leukemia, blood disorders, bone marrow depression, and some types of cancer are directly related to benzene-initiated toxicity. Bioactivation of benzene can lead to the formation of hazardous metabolites such as phenol, hydroquinone, and catechol. Catechol forms semiquinones and reactive quinones that are pre-sumed to play an important role in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS formation can directly induce single and double strand breaks in the DNA, oxidized nucleotides, and hyper-recombination, and consequently produces deleterious genetic changes. In this review, we hove addressed the cytotoxic effects of benzene and its main metabolite, catechol, focusing on the oxidative pathway and further DNA damage. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 50:771-780, 2009. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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