Aflatoxrn m₁ in human breast milk from the gambia, west africa, quantified by combined monoclonal antibody immunoaffinity chromatography and hplc

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. Afiatoxin M₁ (AFM₁) in human milk was measured in all five subjects by a preparative monoclonal antibody imniunoaffinity 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.