Oxidative damage of DNA, RNA and their metabolites in leukocytes, plasma and urine of Macaca mulatta: 8-oxoguanosine in urine is a useful marker for aging.

The levels of the oxidised forms of guanosine in leukocytes, plasma and urine of Macaca mulatta were determined using a sensitive method based on high-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadruple mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The amounts of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydrodeoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dGsn) and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosin (8-oxoGsn), derived from DNA and RNA, respectively, increased with age in leukocytes. The measurement of the free forms of oxidised guanosine revealed similar age-dependent increases of 8-oxo-dGsn and 8-oxoGsn in both plasma and urine, which showed considerably larger amounts of 8-oxoGsn than 8-oxo-dGsn. The 8-oxoGsn content of urine could be a useful biomarker for evaluating aging, as age-dependent increases of 8-oxoGsn are more evident in urine compared to plasma and because urine samples are readily available.