This is the first and only handbook to provide a comprehensive review of the critical intermediates in the first step of the process of carcinogenesis. This volume reviews current knowledge of DNA adducts formed by a wide range of classes of chemical compound, including the metabolism of chemicals, mechanisms of adduction, preparation and properties of standard compounds, adduct formation in vitro, measurements of adducts in humans, and biological significance. Additional chapters review our understanding of specific types of gene damage and mutagenecity and their reaction to cancer. This volume will provide invaluable, up-to-date facts for all researchers in mechanism of carcinogenesis, toxicology, and molecular epidemiology.

Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Adduct," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Adduct in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Adduct when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Adduct, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain.

Numerous physical and chemical stress factors, endogenous or exogenous, challenge living organisms. Metabolisation processes generate highly reactive intermediates which can covalently bind to DNA, resulting in bulky addition products called 'adducts'. DNA adduct formation appears to be a general response of plants to organic chemical exposure, whether in controlled conditions or in the field. In particular, common carcinogenic pollutants and pesticides promote the formation of DNA adducts in plants. The authors of this book examine the development of DNA adducts, as well as the ways in which they can be eliminated due to DNA repair pathways. In this book, the data from in vivo transgenic assays is also examined, which can help to clarify specific pre-mutagenic adducts, DNA repair functions and mutational events that may be involved in the mutagenicity of human carcinogens. Other chapters in this book identify and discuss novel anthracyclines capable of forming DNA adducts, the role of DNA adducts as early biomarkers in the screening and development of marine anticancer drugs, the genotoxicity, such as DNA adduct formation, of air pollutants and its assessment by in vivo mutagenesis and a discussion of oxidative DNA damage, which can play an important role in the carcinogenic processes of PAHs and aromatic amines, in addition to bulky-DNA adducts formation.

The use of exocyclic adducts as biomarkers offers a promising tool in studies of cancer etiology and prevention, particularly for human neoplasias in which the causative factors and mechanisms are still poorly understood. Presentations at an international conference, which resulted in this volume, comprise a comprehensive treatise on the current state of the art and scientific information on exocyclic DNA adducts. The volume includes sections on ultra sensitive detection methods, formation from exogenous and endogenous sources, DNA repair, physical chemical approaches to structural elucidation, and use as biomarkers and their role in mutagenesis and carcinogenesis.

In experimental animal studies, the quantitation of DNA adducts has usually required the use of highly radioactive chemical carcinogens. However, a major breakthrough in detection methods occurred in the early 1980s with the development of the 32P-postlabelling technique. Today, at least 60 laboratories have employed and customized these methods. The conference upon which this volume is based was the first time that the majority of these investigators met to discuss their research. A unique aspect of this meeting was an international effort by 15 different laboratories to quantify carcinogen-DNA adduct level in chemically modified DNA standards and in human tissue samples. The application of 32P-postlabelling together with various biomonitoring techniques as described in this volume marks the beginning of a new approach to human risk assessment based on carcinogen-DNA adducts as molecular biomarkers that are expected to be predictive of clinical disease.

The chemicals discussed here include possible or identified human carcinogens, chemotherapeutic agents, and a number of mutagenic substances for which human exposure is known to occur. More than 40 presentations cover occurrence, epidemiology, and carcinogenic affects; chemistry and formation of cyclic and other adducts; metabolism; biological effects; mechanistic approaches; and sensitive methods for detection of nucleic acid adducts. For oncologists, specialists in occupational health, and biochemists.