Currently, there is a notable absence of data suitable for assessing in situ risks associated with adverse effects or ecosystem perturbations caused by most environmental contaminants. This gap is evident in both prospective and retrospective assessments. Adding to this challenge is the inherent uncertainty in ecological risk assessments, especially concerning chemical mixtures. Consequently, there is a compelling need for improved predictive tools for assessing chemical mixtures. The development of efficient in vitro and in vivo methods is essential to accurately assess and predict biological effects within environmental settings.
DNA adductome - a component of exposome. OMICS technologies have greatly enhanced our grasp of how environmental chemicals impact ecosystems and human health. Despite progress, most environmental OMICS are currently in the data collection phase, with crucial gaps in linking toxicity data with OMICS endpoints \cite{Machuca-Sepúlveda2023a}. Future efforts are expected to address real environmental challenges, focusing on issues like chemical mixture toxicity, biomarker identification, and the development of innovative OMICS approaches towards more effective chemical toxicity testing, risk monitoring, and sustainable natural resource utilization \cite{Beale2022}.
DNA adductomics, one of the newest OMICS techniques, is particularly well suited for assessing exposure and effects of environmental contaminants. In this review, we summarize the basic principles and applications of DNA adductome analysis that would contribute to the environmental assessment and elucidation of biological effects due to chemical stressors. Based on our own experience in integrating DNA adductomics in the Swedish National Marine Monitoring (SNMMP) in the Baltic Sea, we seek to explore how the implementation of this approach can improve existing monitoring designs.
DNA adducts are well-established biomarkers in (eco)toxicology. They are chemical modifications occurring when certain chemicals bind covalently to DNA molecules. Unrepaired DNA adducts can disrupt DNA structure and function, potentially leading to mutations and adverse biological effects \cite{Phillips_2009}. These adducts are associated with health issues, reproductive toxicity, genotoxicity, and epigenetic alterations in humans and wildlife. For the last 50 years, DNA adducts have been used as biomarkers of exposure in human health diagnostics and environmental toxicology, where the focus has mainly been on the adducts derived from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in fish and mussels as exposure biomarkers \cite{Pampanin2017,Dolcetti2002}. In environmental toxicology, PAHs have been most commonly linked to DNA adduct formation \cite{Skarphédinsdóttir2007,Amat_2004}; however, other contaminants have also been found to induce DNA modifications \cite{Guilherme_2012,letters}. Also, in amphipods, abundant epigenetic DNA modifications have been associated with contaminated environments \cite{Martella2023} and females that carry embryos with various developmental disorders \cite{Gorokhova2020}. Thus, ample evidence supports the informative value of detecting and quantifying DNA adducts in biological samples for assessing contaminant exposure and genomic effects.