Individual capacity for detoxification of genotoxic compounds and repair of DNA damage. Commonly used methods for assessment of capacity for DNA repair

Abstract

The first part of this paper reviews the major achievements in the rapidly expanding field of research of individual capacity for repair of genotoxic damage. The issues of individual repair capacity are addressed from multiple sides, analyzing the impact of the heritable components of the capacity for detoxification of genotoxic compounds, on the one hand (determining the risk for occurrence of DNA damage) and of the capacity for repair of DNA damage (when it has already occurred), on the other hand. The role of the capacity for repair of damage to DNA is discussed in the constitution of the risk for development of disease (mainly cancer, but also other common diseases and conditions, such as diabetes, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease) and as a major factor in the outcomes of genotoxic therapies (eligibility for therapy with specific agents, risk for severe adverse effects, post-therapeutic survival rates, etc.). The paper contains an extensive list of biomarkers (mainly DNA polymorphisms, but also enzymes and other phenotypic markers, such as markers of the capacity for self-renewal of cell populations) that may be potentially applicable in the assessment of the risk for carcinogenesis or for development other types of human disease.The second part of the paper provides a brief glimpse of the basic methodology used to obtain experimental results in assessment of the efficiency of DNA repair in living cells for research and diagnostic purposes.