MUTATION RESEARCH-GENETIC TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MUTAGENESIS, vol.680, pp.12-16, 2009 (SCI-Expanded)
Phototherapy (PT) is the most widely used form of treatment for unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. One possible harmful consequence of PT is of a genetic nature. High levels of bilirubin may lead to oxidative damage in newborns: photochemical reactions may produce toxic photoproducts, probably peroxides. In order to investigate this hypothesis further under in vivo conditions, DNA strand-break frequency was examined by means of the comet assay in peripheral lymphocytes of icteric newborns undergoing PT treatment, and the levels of catalase, an antioxidant enzyme, were determined.