1,N6-etheno-2'-deoxyadenosine and 3,N4-etheno-2'-deoxycytidine detected by monoclonal antibodies in lung and liver DNA of rats exposed to vinyl chloride.

1,N6-Etheno-2'-deoxyadenosine (epsilon dAdo) and 3,N4-etheno-2'-deoxycytidine (epsilon dCyd) are formed in vitro by reaction of DNA with the electrophilic metabolites of vinyl chloride (VC), chloroethylene oxide and chloroacetaldehyde. To detect and quantitate these DNA adducts in vivo, we have raised a series of specific monoclonal antibodies (Mab). Among those, Mab EM-A-1 and Mab EM-C-1, respectively, were used for detection of epsilon dAdo and epsilon dCyd by competitive radioimmunoassay (RIA), following pre-separation of the etheno adducts from DNA hydrolysates by high performance liquid chromatography. At 50% inhibition of tracer-antibody binding, both Mab had a detection limit of 187 fmol and antibody affinity constants (K) of 2 x 10(9) l/mol. The levels of epsilon dAdo and epsilon dCyd were quantitated in the DNA of lung and liver tissue of young Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to 2000 p.p.m. of VC for 10 days. The epsilon dAdo/2'-deoxyadenosine and epsilon dCyd/2'-deoxycytidine molar ratios were 1.3 x 10(-7) and 3.3 x 10(-7), respectively, in lung DNA, and 5.0 x 10(-8) and 1.6 x 10(-7) in liver DNA. When hydrolysates of 3 mg of DNA were analyzed by RIA at 25% inhibition of tracer-antibody binding, epsilon dAdo and epsilon dCyd were not detected in liver DNA from untreated rats above the limiting epsilon dAdo/2'-deoxyadenosine and epsilon dCyd/2'-deoxycytidine molar ratios of 2.2 x 10(-8) and 3.1 x 10(-8), respectively.