Determination of Nucleosides and their Adducts with RP-HPLC and (Laser-)Fluorescence Detection

Abstract Interactions of carcinogens or their metabolites with the DNA of the target organ is generally supposed to be an essential step in chemical carcinogenesis. With most carcinogens, however, more than one interaction product is formed and quantitative and qualitative analyses of the different modes of interaction form a necessary tool in order to decide whether one or more of these interactions are involved in the tumor formation. Furthermore factors which may be critical in the genesis of cancer by such compounds include the specific positions which are modified in DNA bases, the relative proportions of the lesions and the persistence of these adducts in DNA bases following carcinogen exposure [11] The determination of femtomole quantities of carcinogen-DNA adducts is thus quite important in studies designed to examine mechanisms operative in carcinogenesis induced by carcinogenic agents.