The effect of regular physical exercise in DNA damage and repair capacity: possible influence of the hOGG1 (Ser326Cys) polymorphism

Physical exercise is associated with an increase in aerobic metabolism, which may lead to an increase in the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS can react with several macromolecules, namely with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), causing strands-breaks (DNA SBs) and a variety of modified bases. However, it has also been described that regular physical exercise may exert a positive physiological effect, leading to increased antioxidant protection and DNA repair mechanisms. The human 8-oxoguanin DNA glycosylase 1 (hOGG1) gene encodes an enzyme responsible for excising the most common product of oxidative DNA damage, 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG). This enzyme repairs the damage through excision of bases. After 16 weeks of exercise, a significant decrease in DNA SBs and also in FPG-sensitive sites (p