The role of antioxidant and DNA damage in the UVB-induced skin tumors of hairless mice

Oxidative stress evoked hy Ultraviolet (UV) exposure has been suggested to be involved in UV-induced skin carcinogenesis. In this study, the role of oxidative stress in UV-carcinogenesis was evaluated by applying N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) in animal model of hairless-mouse. NAC is known to be a precursor of glutathione, which was converted to glutathione in cytoplasm, acting as an intracellular free radical scavenger. The glutathione levels in hairless mouse skin after one time application of NAC increased significantly. With and without the pre-treatment of NAC, hairless-mice were exposed to UVB three times a week, at total dose 274.4 kJ in 80 times, and the timing of tumor-development, incidence of skin tumor and the histopathology of tumors were observed. 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-0HdG), a typical form of oxidative damage in DNA has been also investigated in the course of experiment. The decrease of 8-0HdG formation of UVB- exposed skin compared to controls was observed in the early stage of experiment in the NAC-treated mice. In addition, initial tumor development delayed significantly in NAC-treated group. Finally the number of the tumor developed in the NAC-treated mice was fewer though not significant. These results suggest that antioxidants may have inhibitory effect in the initial step of UVB-induced carcinogenesis of hairless mice.