Direct human DNA damage by unfavorable environmental and climatic factors

AIM: To study the impact of simulated climatic conditions of the 2010 summer in Moscow on the telomere repeats of chromosomes in human blood cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The climatic conditions of July-August 2010 in Moscow were simulated at the Medical Technical Complex, Institute of Biomedical Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences. The relative length of the telomeric repeats of blood cell chromosomes from 6 apparently healthy volunteers was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: These conditions were ascertained to lead to a statistically significant decline in the length of telomere repeats in the terminal portions of chromosomes by 15%. CONCLUSION: Environmental changes and abnormal temperature rises may result in oxidative stress accompanied by telomere shortening, which can be, in turn, a factor of premature aging.