8-nitroguanine formation in the liver of hamsters infected with Opisthorchis viverrini.

Nucleic acid damage by reactive nitrogen and oxygen species may contribute to the carcinogenesis associated with chronic infection and inflammation. We examined 8-nitroguanine and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) formation and nitric oxide (NO) production in hamsters infected with Opisthorchis viverrini (OV). Formation of 8-nitroguanine was assessed immunohistochemically with an antibody specific for 8-nitroguanine. 8-nitroguanine formation was found mainly in the cytoplasm and slightly in the nucleus of inflammatory cells and epithelial lining of bile duct at inflammatory areas in the liver. 8-nitroguanine immunoreactivity reached the highest intensity on day 30. A time profile of 8-nitroguanine formation was closely associated with that of plasma nitrate/nitrite. HPLC with an electrochemical detector revealed that the amount of 8-oxodG in the liver reached the maximal level on day 21. The mechanisms of 8-oxodG and 8-nitroguanine formation via O2*- and NO production triggered by OV infection were discussed in relation to cholangiocarcinoma development.