Immunological methods for detection of carcinogen-DNA damage in humans

Antibodies have been developed against a wide array of carcinogen-DNA adducts as well as UV-damaged or oxidized bases. Their sensitivity for the detection of DNA damage in humans has been demonstrated in numerous studies of occupational, dietary, environmental, clinical, and lifestyle exposures. Unlike the postlabeling assay that can detect multiple hydrophobic carcinogen adducts in a single experiment, specific antibodies must be developed to each adduct or class of adducts of interest. Although we have routinely distributed our monoclonal antibodies to other researchers, these antibodies and those developed by others are now commercially available, making this method of adduct detection readily accessible. Although the data generated may not be as absolutely quantitative as that obtained in other types of assays, the adduct levels found in different populations provide important information on exposure monitoring and should help in the understanding of individual cancer risk. The ease with which samples can be assayed also makes immunoassays appropriate for large scale molecular epidemiological studies. Finally, their applicability to paraffin sections permits the analysis of adducts in samples that are unsuitable for analysis by other DNA adduct measurement methods. As evidenced by the data summarized here, the immunological approach to human biomonitoring is well established and has an important role to play in studies to understand cancer etiology and prevention.