Assessment of Oxidative DNA Damages in Radiography Staff via Evaluation of Its Urinary Biomarker (8‑hydroxy2‑deoxyguanosine)

Studies have shown that one of the most important complications of exposure to ionizing radiation is the emergence of cancer tumors, as a result of oxidative DNA. Since different radiography groups have high rate of exposure to ionizing radiation, examining the susceptibility rate of cancer in these groups is of prime importance. Therefore, the present study was conducted to measure the level of 8‑hydroxy2‑deoxyguanosine (8‑OHdG) in the radiographers’ urine as a biomarker of oxidative damage while comparing it with the nonradiography staff.

Samples of two groups were selected for this case‑control study, wherein 35 subjects were selected from different radiography groups (including nuclear medicine, radiology, radiotherapy, and CT scan) while the other 35 subjects were staffs who had no exposure to radiation. Later, urine samples were collected at the end of the working shift to determine the 8‑OHdG concentration. The samples were obtained via SPE (solid‑phase extraction) method. Subsequently, the 8‑OHdG concentration was measured by the GC‑MS analyzer.

The results confirmed that, the average concentration of 8‑OHdG in the radiographers’ urine (253.4 ± 31.2 ng/mg of creatinine) had a significant difference as compared to the nonradiographers’ urine (141.1 ± 21.9 ng/mg of creatinine) (P = 0.004).

In conclusion, due to elimination of interfering factors, ionizing radiation affects the increase in 8‑OHdG levels and acts as a potential biomarker for the damaged oxidative DNA.