Molecular Info®

Molecular Info® Copy Right © 2001 Institute of Molecular Development LLC

Vitamin C-Induced Decomposition of Lipid Hydroperoxides to Endogenous Genotoxins Seon Hwa Lee, Tomoyuki Oe and Ian A. Blair Science 292: 2083, June 2001. Vitamin C induces lipid hydroperoxide decomposition to the DNA-reactive bifunctional electrophiles 4-oxo-2-nonenal, 4,5-epoxy-2(E)-decenal, and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal. The compound 4,5-Epoxy-2(E)-decenal is a precursor of etheno-2'-deoxyadenosine, a highly mutagenic lesion found in human DNA. Vitamin C-mediated formation of genotoxins from lipid hydroperoxides in the absence of transition metal ions could help explain its lack of efficacy as a cancer chemoprevention agent.