1998 Volume 33 Issue 3 Pages 196-200
It has been known that the environmental carcinogens, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), form DNA adducts in exposed tissues. The relationship between the lung cancer and environmental exposure is expected to be clarified by the analysis of DNA adducts in the lung tissue which may be the main target tissue after exposure to the environmental carcinogens. The 32P-postlabeling high-performance liquid chromatography (32P-HPLC) method is expected to be useful for the analysis of the DNA adducts in human lung tissues, due to its high sensitibvity and high resolution. The object of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the 32P-HPLC method for the analysis of human lung tissue. The DNA adducts in lung tissue from 11 autopsies were measured by the 32P-HPLC method. The chromatograms in all cases showed plural peaks after the DNA adducts mixtures separated. The peak pattarns were different from each other suggesting the difference of history of exposure. Two peaks with the retention time, 56.4 and 62.4 minute, were commonly observed among some cases. Although the compounds corresponding to these peaks could not be specified, the cases with such peaks may be exposed to the same compounds. From these results it can be concluded that through the 32P-HPLC method which was used to study the DNA adduct in human lung tissue, can be used to evaluate not only the TAL, (Total DNA Adduct Level) but also the type of exposure to environmental carcinogens.
