Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Indoor and Built Environment
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Criss, W. E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?

Molecular Mechanisms of Toxic Chemicals

Wayne E. Criss

Department of Biochemistry and Comprehensive Cancer Center,Hacettepe University Medical School, Ankara 06100 Turkeycriss1{at}ttnet.net.tr

Most human cancers are caused by toxic organic or inorganic chemicals. Environmental exposure allows these chemicals to enter the body and almost every body cell. Within the body cells, five multi-enzyme systems process these chemicals. The chemicals can be activated to their ultimate carcinogenic molecular structures (usually to free radicals) or they can generate free radicals from water molecules. As electrophilic radicals, they can attack and co-valently bind to guanine in G-C or other DNA base pair units within the chromosomes resulting in genomic alterations, possibly in mutations. As protection against this, the radicals can be inactivated and any altered/mutated genes may be repaired. The five carcinogen-processing systems contain more than 300 enzymes. Each enzyme is coded from inherited genes. Therefore, one inherits high versus low genetic susceptibility to the processing of toxic chemicals and the repair of damaged genes through these intracellular carcinogen-processing enzyme systems. Hence, carcinogenesis is a multifactorial process based on both environmental and genetic factors.

Key Words: Chemical carcinogenesis • Toxic substances • Genetic susceptibility • Carcinogen processing systems

Indoor and Built Environment, Vol. 12, No. 6, 395-399 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/1420326X03039691
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?