A new immunoassay of human antibodies to chemical carcinogens

The study was undertaken to optimize the well known immunoassay of antibodies to chemical carcinogens, designed by J. Chagnaud et al., and examine the specific features of the generation of antibodies (Ab) to benzo[a]pyrene (BP) in patients with lung cancer. Ninety-two serum samples from healthy males and 80 samples from patients with lung cancer were studied. Increased efficiency was achieved by the use of bovine serum albumin instead of thyreoglobulin in the synthesis of carrier protein conjugates with BP. Better reproducibility was accomplished, by using the control serum sample with the known content of IgM, IgG, and IgA Ab to BP. Analysis of the study serum samples has established that in healthy male smokers, the count of IgA Ab was twice greater than that in non-smokers. The patients with lung cancer were found to higher levels of IgG and IgA Ab to BP (in both smokers and non-smokers) than healthy individuals. It is proposed to use the stated method to study a role of A to chemical carcinogens in the pathogenesis of malignancies.