Title: Aflatoxin M1 in human breast milk from The Gambia, west Africa, quantified by combined monoclonal antibody immunoaffinity chromatography and HPLC.

Authors: Zarba, A; Wild, C P; Hall, A J; Montesano, R; Hudson, G J; Groopman, J D

Published In Carcinogenesis, (1992 May)

Abstract: Maternal to child exposure of aflatoxin M1 in breast milk is an underevaluated risk factor from dietary exposure to aflatoxin B1. A molecular dosimetry study in The Gambia, West Africa, was initiated to explore the relationships between dietary intake of aflatoxins during a 1 week period and a number of aflatoxin biomarkers including aflatoxin metabolite excretion into breast milk. For the breast milk study, five lactating women were identified and milk samples were collected by hand expression once a day during days 3-7 for three women and during days 3-6 for the two other women. Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in human milk was measured in all five subjects by a preparative monoclonal antibody immunoaffinity column/HPLC method. In three of the five women, aflatoxin G1 was found. Estimates of the percentage of aflatoxin in the diet excreted as AFM1 in milk ranged from 0.09 to 0.43%. Thus, these data indicate that a rapid methodology exists to assess the levels of AFM1 excretion in human milk and to use this approach as a biomarker for exposure of children to this carcinogen.

PubMed ID: 1587004

MeSH Terms: No MeSH terms associated with this publication