Benzo[alpha]pyrene antibody inhibition of benzo[alpha]pyrene-induced mutageneis.

An antibody to benzo[alpha]pyrene (BP) was prepared. The isolated antibody showed a specificity for BP and a low reactivity with another carcinogenic hydrocarbon, 7,12-dimethylbenz[alpha]anthracene (DMBA). The BP-antibody inhibited the in vitro cytotoxic and mutagenic activity of BP in both a rat embryo fibroblast- and a rat lung cell-mediated mutagenesis system. A possible correlation of these in vitro findings to the in vivo carcinogenesis situation is discussed.