Abstract
Data obtained in studies on the damage suffered by DNA molecules under the influence of ionising ultraviolet, or ultrasonic radiation, and chemical mutagens are reviewed. The application of chemical kinetic and other physicochemical methods (ESR, chemiluminescence, spin labels, electron microscopy, etc.) to the study of the mechanism of the damage to DNA molecules acted upon in different ways is considered and mechanisms whereby chemical and structural changes occur in DNA are analysed. The hypothesis of the free-radical mechanism of the damage sustained by DNA under the influence of radiation and of the possible use of radical-reaction inhibitors as agents offering protection from radiation is discussed and evidence for its validity is presented.
The bibliography includes 181 references.