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Detection of Aflatoxin B₁-DNA Adducts in Human Placenta and Cord Blood¹

Department of Public Health, Chang Gung Medical College, Kwei-San, Tao-Yuan [L-L. H.], and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei [T-T. H.], Taiwan, Republic of China

Human placenta and cord blood are readily available specimens that respond to maternal environmental insult and are being used to investigate metabolism, bloactivation, and transplacental transfer of procarcinogens. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantitate 120 placentas and 56 cord bloods from term, uncomplicated pregnancies at Taipei Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan, for the presence of the imidazole ring-opened form of aflatoxin B₁-DNA (AFB₁-DNA) adducts. Of the 120 samples of placentas, 69 (57.5%) contained AFB₁-DNA adducts in levels from 0.6 to 6.3 µmol/mol DNA. Of the 56 samples of cord bloods, 5 (8.9%) contained AFB₁-DNA adducts in levels from 1.4 to 2.7 µmol/mol DNA. A higher positive rate was found in samples collected in the summer than in the winter. These results indicate that a significant number of individuals in an area of high liver cancer risk have been exposed to AFB₁, and it is possible to transfer AFB₁ and its metabolites to the progeny through the transplacental unit. Thus, monitoring adduct levels in human specimens may provide information not only on carcinogen exposure but also on the relationship among infection with hepatitis B/C virus, dietary exposure to AFB₁, and liver cancer.

¹ Supported by NSC Grant NSC79-0412-B182-40 and Chang Gung Medical Research Grant CMRP296.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at Department of Public Health, Chang Gung Medical College, 259 Wen-Hwa I Road, Kwei-San, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan, Republic of China.

Received 10/19/92. Accepted 1/ 6/93.

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