Oxidative DNA Damage Is Reduced Following a Novel 3-Month Supplementation Intervention in Hemodialysis Patients

Chronic renal failure patients receiving haemodialysis (HD) exhibit a high incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancers. This is reported to be attributed to elevated levels of genetic damage coupled with lower levels of antioxidants, both endogenous and exogenous, and thus higher levels of oxidative stress. In the UK, HD patients are not prescribed supplementation, unlike other countries. This study is a blinded randomised intervention where 38 HD patients were assigned either placebo or novel supplement for 3 months. The modified comet assay was used to measure levels of DNA damage. The % of tail DNA damage was used to measure basal genetic damage; oxidative-specific DNA damage was measured with the addition of the enzymes Endo III and FPG. The HD patients receiving treatment had significantly reduced levels of all types of DNA damage compared to the placebo at 3 months. We observed a positive correlation between the duration on dialysis (months) and levels of Endo III -specific damage (p=0.041). Finally, in the HD placebo group, DNA damage levels were significantly increased from baseline at 3 months. This supplement, which is not available in the UK, may offer a treatment to reduce DNA damage, thereby helping to reduce the impact of HD on genomic damage and thus, cancers and CVD. As such, it warrants further investigation.