The 1-carbamoyl-2-oxo-4,5-dihydroxyimidazolidine component of ROS-induced DNA damage in white blood cells.

The 1-carbamoyl-2-oxo-4,5-dihydroxyimidazolidine modification of cytosine is a known base modification produced in vitro by oxidative stress. However, the presence of this modification in vivo has not been established. In this study the introduction of this base modification into dinucleoside monophosphates was accomplished using the Fenton reaction. Subsequently, the modification was produced in short isotopically labeled oligomers. Labeled tetramers bearing the lesion were used as internal standards for LC-MS/MS determinations of the base modification in the DNA of white blood cells from healthy donors. The background level of the 1-carbamoyl-2-oxo-4,5-dihydroxyimidazolidine modification of cytosine was found to be larger than the levels of the formamide and thymine glycol base modifications.