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Monoclonal antibodies were obtained after fusion of mouse P3 X 63 myeloma cells with spleen cells isolated from BALB/c mice that had been immunized with aflatoxin B1-adducted DNA complexed with methylated bovine serum albumin. Selected hybridomas were found to produce monoclonal antibodies specific for aflatoxin B1-modified DNA containing both the 2,3-dihydro-2-(N7-guanyl)-3-hydroxyaflatoxin B1 and the putative 2,3-dihydro-2-(N5-formyl-2',5',6'-triamino-4'oxo-N5-pyrimidyl) -3-hydroxyaflatoxin B1, suggesting that these DNA adducts share a common antigenic determinant. The monoclonal antibody was not reactive towards the free aflatoxin B1-guanine adducts in solution, seven other aflatoxin derivatives, or benzo[a]pyrene-adducted DNA. A noncompetitive ultrasensitive enzyme radioimmunoassay could measure 15 fmol of aflatoxin B1-DNA adducts in 10 ng of DNA and was at least 100-fold more sensitive than the standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with these monoclonal antibodies reliably quantitated aflatoxin B1 adducted in vivo to rat liver DNA at adduct levels of one aflatoxin B1 residue per 250,000 nucleotides. The competitive ultrasensitive enzyme radioimmunoassay was determined to be at least 6-fold more sensitive than the competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in analysis of aflatoxin B1-adducted DNA. Therefore, enzyme immunoassay using monoclonal antibodies will be useful analytical tools for studying both the molecular interactions of aflatoxin B1 with DNA and the occurrence of aflatoxin B1-DNA adducts in biological specimens from people exposed to this environmental carcinogen.

The effects of dietary administration of ethoxyquin (EQ) on aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) metabolism, DNA adduct formation and removal, and hepatic tumorigenesis were examined in male Fischer rats. Rats were fed a semipurified diet containing 0.4% EQ for 1 wk, gavaged with 250 micrograms of AFB1 per kg 5 times a wk during the next 2 wk, and, finally, restored to the control diet 1 wk after cessation of dosing. At 4 mo, focal areas of hepatocellular alteration were identified and quantitated by staining sections of liver for gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. Treatment with EQ reduced by greater than 95% both area and volume of liver occupied by gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-positive foci. Utilizing the same multiple dosing protocol, patterns of covalent modifications of DNA by AFB1 were determined. EQ produced a dramatic reduction in the binding of AFB1 to hepatic DNA: 18-fold initially and 3-fold at the end of the dosing period. Although binding was detectable at 3 and 4 mo postdosing, no effect of EQ was observed, suggesting that these persistent adducts are not of primary relevance to AFB1 carcinogenesis. Analysis of nucleic acid bases by high-performance liquid chromatography revealed no qualitative differences in adduct species between treatment groups. The inhibitory effect of EQ on AFB1 binding to DNA and tumorigenesis appears related to induction of detoxication enzymes. Rats fed 0.4% EQ for 7 days showed a 5-fold increase in hepatic cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (GST)-specific activities. Multiple molecular forms of GST were induced, and concomitant elevations in messenger RNA levels coding for the synthesis of GST subunits were observed. Correspondingly, biliary elimination of AFB1-glutathione conjugate was increased 4.5-fold in animals on the EQ diet during the first 2 h following p.o. administration of 250 micrograms of AFB1 per kg. Thus, induction by EQ of enzymes important to AFB1 detoxication, such as GST, can lead to enhanced carcinogen elimination, as well as reductions of AFB1-DNA adduct formation and subsequent expression of preneoplastic lesions, and, ultimately, neoplasia.

We describe, for the first time, the action of antibodies in anhydrous organic solvents. It has been demonstrated that the binding of a hapten, 4-aminobiphenyl, to the immobilized monoclonal antibody 2E11 is strong and specific not only in water but also in a variety of non-aqueous media. Further, the strength of interaction between antibody and hapten has been related to the hydrophobicity of the solvent: the more hydrophobic the solvent, the weaker the protein-ligand interaction.

Past studies with animals have demonstrated that 4-aminobiphenyl (ABP) administration results in the formation of appreciable amounts of adducts between the carcinogen and both serum albumin and hemoglobin. The hemoglobin adduct is relatively stable in vivo, but may be readily hydrolyzed in vitro to regenerate ABP. The formation of this adduct reflects a mixed-function oxidase-mediated metabolic pathway operating directly on the amine. The predominant albumin adduct, 3-(tryptophan-N1-yl)-4-acetylaminobiphenyl, reflects the contribution of N-acetyltransferase activity as well as mixed function oxidase activity to the overall metabolism. The simultaneous measurement of these two different adducts thus offers an opportunity to investigate the role of both ABP and acetylator phenotype in bladder carcinogenesis. An analytical method, using gas chromatography coupled with electron capture detection, was developed to quantitate ABP adducted to hemoglobin.

We have used monoclonal antibody technology to produce antibodies that recognize aflatoxins in order to develop noninvasive methods in conjunction with other chemical analytical techniques to monitor human exposure to environmental carcinogens. These methods require the ability to quantitate aflatoxins and their metabolites, including DNA and protein adducts, in readily accessible compartments such as serum and urine. The techniques permit efficient analysis of many samples in a relatively short time. Also, these monoclonal antibody affinity columns have been extremely useful for rapid isolation of aflatoxins from food and grain samples, as well as aflatoxin M1 from milk. Monoclonal antibody affinity methods are nondestructive to the aflatoxin molecule, so the sample aliquot can be used for confirmation. The use of monoclonal antibody preparative affinity columns represents a major, substantive breakthrough for analytical chemists and will be a generally applicable technology for isolation of many different substances.