Identification of an aflatoxin G1–serum albumin adduct and its relevance to the measurement of human exposure to aflatoxins

A major aflatoxin G1 (AFG1)-albumin adduct has been identified and characterized in rats following exposure to AFG1. The product isolated from a Pronase digest of in vivo-modified albumin was identical by chromatographic retention time to the synthetic product obtained by the acylase-catalysed deacetylation product of N alpha-acetyl-L-lysine with 8,9-dihydro-8,9-dibromo-AFG1. The in vitro product, AFG1-lysine, was characterized by UV, fluorescence, 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy and fast atom bombardment MS. A competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay for this adduct was established using polyclonal antibodies to AFB1 and this was used together with an HPLC-fluorescence technique to quantitate the in vivo formation of AFG1-albumin adducts in comparison to AFB1. A linear dose-response relationship was observed in rats following single exposures to 0.1-3 mg AFG1/kg body wt. The levels of AFG1-albumin adducts were determined to be 5.7- and 2.8-fold lower than with equivalent doses of AFB1 as determined by immunoassay and HPLC fluorescence respectively. The lower binding of AFG1 and the lower levels in the human food supply compared to AFB1 suggest that the newly identified adduct could be added as an internal standard for methods using the measurement of aflatoxin-albumin adducts to quantitate human exposure to aflatoxin.