Estimation of Urinary Uranium and Urinary 8-OHdG Compound as Biomarker for Oxidative DNA Damage in Exposures and Non-Exposures Adult Healthy Groups in Najaf Governorate

Abstract

Environmental pollution with many chemical and physical factors affect people health all over the world. Najaf governorate of Iraq have natural and human made soures of radiation. Increased number of cancer cases, autoimmune disease has been recorded in the last few decades. The present study aims to evalute urinary uranium concentration and urinary concentration of 8-OHdG compound as biomarker for oxidative DNA damage. In this study, a total of 88 healthy adults in Al-Najaf governorate were grouped as environmentally uranium exposures n=29 (G1), occupationally exposures n=27 (G2), and non-uranium exposures n=32 (G3). All groups were subjected for estimation of urinary uranium concentration using CR-39 SSNTD method, urinary 8-OHdG compound as a biomarker for oxidative DNA damage was estimated also using Elisa technique. Results showed that mean value of uranium concentration were (1.836±0.426 µg/L), (2.02±0.404 µg/L) and (1.755± 0.437 µg/L) for group1, group2 and group3 respectively, while the mean values for 8-OHdG compound were (49.810±15.484 ng/ml), (47.717±14.232 ng/ml) and (46.769±14.249 ng/ml) for the three groups respectively. No significant statistical differences were recorded between all data obtained. The results suggested presence of uranium pollution in all healthy groups including non-exposure (G3) as compared with reference value of (WHO, 2004). DNA damage found also in all groups according to 8-OHdG levels recorded. DNA oxidative damage may be a consequence of uranium pollution recorded in all healthy groups of Najaf governorate tested in the present study.