TY - JOUR
T1 - Urinary thymidine dimer excretion reflects personal ultraviolet radiation exposure levels
AU - Lerche, Catharina Margrethe
AU - Frederiksen, Nynne Johanne Sahl
AU - Thorsteinsson, Ida Schwarz
AU - Køster, Brian
AU - Nybo, Lars
AU - Flouris, Andreas D.
AU - Heydenreich, Jakob
AU - Philipsen, Peter Alshede
AU - Hædersdal, Merete
AU - Wulf, Hans Christian
AU - Granborg, Jonatan Riber
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) leads to skin DNA damage, specifically in the form of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers, with thymidine dimers being the most common. Quantifying these dimers can indicate the extent of DNA damage resulting from UVR exposure. Here, a new liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC–MS) method was used to quantify thymidine dimers in the urine after a temporary increase in real-life UVR exposure. Healthy Danish volunteers (n = 27) experienced increased UVR exposure during a winter vacation. Individual exposure, assessed via personally worn electronic UVR dosimeters, revealed a mean exposure level of 32.9 standard erythema doses (SEDs) during the last week of vacation. Morning urine thymidine dimer concentrations were markedly elevated both 1 and 2 days post-vacation, and individual thymidine dimer levels correlated with UVR exposure during the last week of the vacation. The strongest correlation with erythema-weighted personal UVR exposure (Power model, r2 = 0.64, p < 0.001) was observed when both morning urine samples were combined to measure 48-h thymidine dimer excretion, whereas 24-h excretion based on a single sample provided a weaker correlation (Power model, r2 = 0.55, p < 0.001). Sex, age, and skin phototype had no significant effect on these correlations. For the first time, urinary thymidine dimer excretion was quantified by LC–MS to evaluate the effect of a temporary increase in personal UVR exposure in a real-life setting. The high sensitivity to elevated UVR exposure and correlation between urinary excretion and measured SED suggest that this approach may be used to quantify DNA damage and repair and to evaluate photoprevention strategies. Graphical abstract: (Figure presented.).
AB - Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) leads to skin DNA damage, specifically in the form of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers, with thymidine dimers being the most common. Quantifying these dimers can indicate the extent of DNA damage resulting from UVR exposure. Here, a new liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC–MS) method was used to quantify thymidine dimers in the urine after a temporary increase in real-life UVR exposure. Healthy Danish volunteers (n = 27) experienced increased UVR exposure during a winter vacation. Individual exposure, assessed via personally worn electronic UVR dosimeters, revealed a mean exposure level of 32.9 standard erythema doses (SEDs) during the last week of vacation. Morning urine thymidine dimer concentrations were markedly elevated both 1 and 2 days post-vacation, and individual thymidine dimer levels correlated with UVR exposure during the last week of the vacation. The strongest correlation with erythema-weighted personal UVR exposure (Power model, r2 = 0.64, p < 0.001) was observed when both morning urine samples were combined to measure 48-h thymidine dimer excretion, whereas 24-h excretion based on a single sample provided a weaker correlation (Power model, r2 = 0.55, p < 0.001). Sex, age, and skin phototype had no significant effect on these correlations. For the first time, urinary thymidine dimer excretion was quantified by LC–MS to evaluate the effect of a temporary increase in personal UVR exposure in a real-life setting. The high sensitivity to elevated UVR exposure and correlation between urinary excretion and measured SED suggest that this approach may be used to quantify DNA damage and repair and to evaluate photoprevention strategies. Graphical abstract: (Figure presented.).
KW - Cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers
KW - LC–MS
KW - Personal dosimeter
KW - Thymidine dimers
KW - Thymine dimers
KW - Ultraviolet radiation
KW - Urine analysis
U2 - 10.1007/s43630-024-00563-0
DO - 10.1007/s43630-024-00563-0
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 38589652
AN - SCOPUS:85189622731
VL - 23
SP - 919
EP - 930
JO - Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences
JF - Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences
SN - 1474-905X
ER -