Complex interplay of DNA damage, DNA repair genes, and oxidative stress in coronary artery disease

Oxidative stress and DNA damage have been increasingly re- cognized to coexist in the setting of coronary artery disease (CAD). DNA damage is present in all cells within the atherosclerotic plaque, and there is increasing evidence that human atherosclerosis is associated with damage to DNA of both circulating cells and cells of the vessel wall. DNA damage usually includes DNA strand breaks, mutations of single bases, modified bases (including oxidation), or DNA adducts. Many of the risk factors associated with atherogenesis, such as smoking and diabetes mellitus, could directly induce DNA damage (1)