Effects of alcohol-drinking behaviour and ADH1B and ALDH2 polymorphisms on basal DNA damage in human mononuclear cells as determined by the comet assay.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of alcohol drinking and ADH1B and ALDH2 polymorphisms on basal DNA damage (measured by the alkaline comet assay) of mononuclear cells in 122 healthy Japanese workers. Our results showed that drinking frequency had a significant impact on the tail moment (TM) value, with the highest TM value observed in habitual drinkers. The presence of the ADH1B2 or ALDH22 allele was associated with increased DNA damage in older habitual drinkers. Furthermore, habitual drinkers with a combined genotype of ADH1B*2/2 and ALDH21/*2 demonstrated a significantly higher TM value than other groups. Moreover, the combination of drinking and smoking has a combined effect on DNA damage. Multiple regression analysis revealed that drinking frequency, smoking status, and ALDH2 polymorphisms significantly influence basal TM value, suggesting that these are important variables affecting individual basal DNA damage.