Genotoxicity of quinone: An insight on DNA adducts and its LC-MS-based detection

Quinones are potent genotoxic agents through generating reactive oxygen species or undergo covalent bonding to modify the nucleobases of DNA. The formation of DNA adducts is an early indication of cancer, as it may lead to gene mutation, thereby initiating tumor development. The present review aims to summarize different types of quinone-induced DNA damages and the corresponding DNA adducts. In addition to the considerably stable naphthoquinone and halobenzoquinones in the environment, quinones are also metabolically activated from estrogen, bisphenol A, ochratoxin A, polychlorinated biphenyls, benzo[a]pyrene and polybrominated diphenyl ethers, in which the inducement from these pollutants to produce DNA adducts were systematically discussed. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based method with high accuracy and sensitivity for the detection of DNA adducts in mononucleotides, DNA duplexes, and biological samples was methodically summarized. It is believed that the presence of dione moiety in quinones is an imperative element that induce the formation of DNA adducts. The investigation on DNA adducts is helpful for understanding the generation, transformation, and repair of DNA damages, and for elucidating the underlying mechanism of carcinogenesis. This review provides a new perspective to assess the toxicological potential of quinones, and intends to put forward strategies of analyzing DNA adducts, which act as biomarkers, for indicating the potential health risks of multiDNA damages.