[Sensitizing capacity, cross-reactivity and antigenic determinants of bisphenol A]

Bis-GMA and epoxy resins are known to cause allergic reactions in some patients. The purpose of this research was to investigate the sensitizing capacity, cross-reactivity and antigenic determinants of bisphenol A (BPA), a major constituent of Bis-GMA and BPA type epoxy resins. Anti-BPA antibodies were prepared from mice injected with BPA-ovalbumin conjugates (BPA-OVA), and the reactions of the structurally BPA-related compounds were compared with that of BPA using these antibodies by the enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and EIA inhibition test. The findings are as follows: 1) Injection of BPA failed to generate anti-BPA antibodies. However, injection of BPA-OVA was effective in producing antibodies strongly reacting with BPA. 2) Polyclonal anti-BPA antibodies cross-reacted with bisphenol B (BPB), p-isopropyl-phenol (IPP), diethylstilbestrol (DES) and 2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP). 3) Five kinds of monoclonal anti-BPA antibodies were obtained. These monoclonal antibodies reacted specifically with BPA and moderately cross-reacted with IPP, DES and BPB, but not with DNP. The results suggest that BPA-OVA is capable of eliciting anti-BPA antibody production in mice and that the antigenic determinant of BPA is the structure of one central carbon atom, covalently bound with two phenyl groups and two methyl groups.