The trace of alcohol in juvenile DNA

2014/01/07 Rementeria Argote, Nagore - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Medikuntza
• Biokimika

The consumption of alcoholic beverages during the weekends causes deeper damage than expected. The research has been published in the journal Alcohol by the UPV researcher Adela Rendón, in collaboration with the Autonomous University of Nayarg, Mexico. This is a pioneering research, since the influence of alcohol has been investigated with people who so far have been drinking for many years, but on this occasion healthy young people have been investigated. The research was conducted with a group of students aged between 18 and 25, divided into two: those who did not drink for control and those who only drank on weekends.

From blood samples, the state of the lipids that form the membrane of the blood cells was first analyzed. The result gave them a bad impression and they thought to see if the damage came even to DNA. For this purpose, they carried out a comet essay. Removal of the nucleus of lymphocyte cells from the blood and subjection to electrophoresis. “In fact, if the chromatin is not well compacted, if there is damage to the DNA, it leaves a halo in the electrophoresis, which is called “comet hair”, explains Adela Rendón. In fact, the chromatin of the group of those who drank alcohol left a small halo greater than the control group. Specifically, the results indicate that 8% of the cells had damage in the control group and 44% of the cells they drank. Thus, the group of drinkers had damaged 5.3 times more cells.

The damage they have seen in DNA is not significant, “Fortunately,” the researcher said, “but they should not have any damage, because they have been drinking alcohol for very little time, because they have not been drinking on a chronic basis.”