Grace S.N. Lau. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 335-362). / List of Abbreviations --- p.i / Abstract --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 1 --- General Introduction and Study Objectives / Chapter 1.1 --- Metabolic activation - role in drug toxicity and carcinogenesis --- p.5 / Chapter 1.2 --- Hepatocellular carcinoma --- p.12 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Epidemiology --- p.12 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- Aetiological factors --- p.17 / Chapter 1.2.2.1 --- Hepatitis B virus infection --- p.17 / Chapter 1.2.2.2 --- Cirrhosis --- p.24 / Chapter 1.2.2.3 --- Aflatoxins --- p.25 / Chapter 1.2.2.4 --- Other factors --- p.26 / Chapter 1.2.2.5 --- Summary --- p.29 / Chapter 1.3 --- Study objectives --- p.30 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- The Metabolism of Paracetamol in Healthy Subjects andin Patients with Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma / Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.34 / Chapter 2.1.1. --- History of paracetamol --- p.34 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Pharmacology of paracetamol --- p.37 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- "Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion" --- p.38 / Chapter 2.1.3.1 --- Absorption --- p.38 / Chapter 2.1.3.2 --- Distribution --- p.41 / Chapter 2.1.3.3 --- Metabolism --- p.42 / Chapter 2.1.3.4 --- Excretion --- p.57 / Chapter 2.1.4 --- Toxicity and Overdosage --- p.59 / Chapter 2.2 --- Estimation of paracetamol and its metabolites in plasma and urine by high performance liquid chromatography --- p.72 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Introduction --- p.72 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Analytical method --- p.76 / Chapter 2.2.2.1 --- Materials --- p.76 / Chapter 2.2.2.2 --- Instrumentation --- p.77 / Chapter 2.2.2.3 --- Collection and storage of samples --- p.79 / Chapter 2.2.2.4 --- Chromatographic conditions --- p.79 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Urine assay --- p.79 / Chapter 2.2.3.1 --- Preparation of standards and test samples for urine assay --- p.79 / Chapter 2.2.3.2 --- Calculation of results for urine assay --- p.80 / Chapter 2.2.3.3 --- Results of urine assay --- p.81 / Chapter 2.2.3.4 --- Validation of urine assay --- p.81 / Chapter 2.2.4 --- Plasma assay --- p.83 / Chapter 2.2.4.1 --- Preparation of standards and test samples for plasma assay --- p.83 / Chapter 2.2.4.2 --- Calculation of results for plasma assay --- p.91 / Chapter 2.2.4.3 --- Results of plasma assay --- p.91 / Chapter 2.2.4.4 --- Validation of plasma assay --- p.93 / Chapter 2.2.5 --- Summary --- p.99 / Chapter 2.3 --- The pharmacokinetics of paracetamol in healthy subjects --- p.103 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Introduction --- p.103 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Study protocol --- p.103 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- Methods --- p.103 / Chapter 2.3.3.1 --- Subjects --- p.103 / Chapter 2.3.3.2 --- Drug administration and sampling --- p.104 / Chapter 2.3.3.3 --- Drug analysis --- p.108 / Chapter 2.3.3.4 --- Calculations --- p.108 / Chapter 2.3.4 --- Pharmacokinetic analysis --- p.109 / Chapter 2.3.5 --- Statistical analysis --- p.113 / Chapter 2.3.6 --- Results --- p.114 / Chapter 2.3.6.1 --- Plasma Results --- p.114 / Chapter 2.3.6.2 --- Urine Results --- p.118 / Chapter 2.3.6.3 --- Pharmacokinetic Results --- p.125 / Chapter 2.3.6.4 --- Statistical Results --- p.134 / Chapter 2.3.7 --- Discussion --- p.145 / Chapter 2.4 --- "The pharmacokinetics of paracetamol in healthy subjects, patients with liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma" --- p.155 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Introduction --- p.155 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- Study protocol --- p.156 / Chapter 2.4.3 --- Methods --- p.156 / Chapter 2.4.3.1 --- Subjects --- p.156 / Chapter 2.4.3.2 --- Drug administration and sampling --- p.157 / Chapter 2.4.3.3 --- Drug analysis --- p.160 / Chapter 2.4.3.4 --- Calculations --- p.160 / Chapter 2.4.4 --- Pharmacokinetic analysis --- p.161 / Chapter 2.4.6 --- Results --- p.162 / Chapter 2.4.6.1 --- Plasma Results --- p.162 / Chapter 2.4.6.2 --- Urine Results --- p.162 / Chapter 2.4.6.3 --- Pharmacokinetic Results --- p.179 / Chapter 2.4.7 --- Discussion --- p.194 / Chapter 2.4.8 --- Summary --- p.203 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Metabolic Activation of Aflatoxin B1 in Healthy Subjects and in Patients with Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma / Chapter 3.1 --- General introduction --- p.206 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Chemical structures and properties --- p.207 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- Contamination of food by aflatoxins --- p.209 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- Metabolism of aflatoxins --- p.210 / Chapter 3.1.4 --- Human diseases possibly related to exposure to aflatoxins --- p.226 / Chapter 3.1.4.1 --- Acute aflatoxicosis --- p.226 / Chapter 3.1.4.2 --- Reye's syndrome --- p.227 / Chapter 3.1.4.3 --- Kwashiorkor --- p.228 / Chapter 3.1.4.4 --- Impaired immune function --- p.229 / Chapter 3.1.4.5 --- Hepatocellular carcinoma --- p.230 / Chapter 3.1.5 --- Biochemical and molecular epidemiology of aflatoxins --- p.232 / Chapter 3.2 --- Development of an ELISA method to monitor AFB1 exposure in human serum --- p.237 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Introduction --- p.237 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Preparation of all the components necessary for analysing AFB1-albumin adducts by ELISA --- p.243 / Chapter 3.2.2.1 --- Materials --- p.243 / Chapter 3.2.2.2 --- Preparation of rabbit AFB1 antiserum --- p.244 / Chapter 3.2.2.3 --- Preparation of the rat monoclonal antibody --- p.244 / Chapter 3.2.2.4 --- Concentration of cell culture supernatant by ammonium sulphate precipitation --- p.246 / Chapter 3.2.2.5 --- Preparation of the BSA-AFB1 conjugate --- p.248 / Chapter 3.2.2.6 --- Preparation of the immunoaffinity gel --- p.250 / Chapter 3.2.2.7 --- Preparation of the ELISA plates --- p.251 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- General procedures used in the analysis of AFB1- albumin adducts --- p.252 / Chapter 3.2.3.1 --- Competitive ELISA binding assay --- p.253 / Chapter 3.2.3.2 --- Sep-pak C18 cartridge --- p.254 / Chapter 3.2.3.3 --- Immunoaffinity column --- p.255 / Chapter 3.2.3.4 --- Evaporation process --- p.255 / Chapter 3.2.3.5 --- HPLC --- p.256 / Chapter 3.2.3.6 --- Radioactive counting --- p.256 / Chapter 3.2.3.7 --- Albumin isolation --- p.257 / Chapter 3.2.3.8 --- Digestion of albumin --- p.257 / Chapter 3.2.3.9 --- Animal procedures --- p.258 / Chapter 3.2.4 --- Validations --- p.259 / Chapter 3.2.4.1 --- Analysis of standard AFB1 and AFB1- lysine in ELISA --- p.259 / Chapter 3 2.4.2 --- Optimisation of antiserum dilution and concentration of coating antigenin ELISA --- p.259 / Chapter 3 2.4.3 --- Elution characteristics and capacity of the immunoaffinity column --- p.261 / Chapter 3.2.4.4 --- Comparison of immunoaffinity gels prepared with different affinity gels --- p.261 / Chapter 3.2.4.5 --- Immunoaffinity column experiment of AFB1-lysine --- p.263 / Chapter 3.2.4.6 --- HPLC Analysis of fractions from immunoaffinity column --- p.263 / Chapter 3.2.4.8 --- HPLC analysis of fractions from Sep- Pak C18 cartridge --- p.264 / Chapter 3.2.4.9 --- Digestion of serum albumin by proteinase K --- p.264 / Chapter 3.2.4.10 --- Effect of ethanol in samples to be loaded onto Sep-Pak C18 cartridge --- p.265 / Chapter 3.2.4.11 --- Effect of drying in a vacuum concentrator on recovery of radioactivity of 3H-AFB1 --- p.266 / Chapter 3.2.4.12 --- Evaluation of the overall procedure for the analysis of serum albumin adducts of AFB1 --- p.267 / Chapter 3.2.4.13 --- HPLC analysis of samples obtained after digestion and all clean-up procedures --- p.268 / Chapter 3.2.5 --- Results and discussion --- p.268 / Chapter 3.2.5.1 --- BSA-AFB1 conjugate --- p.268 / Chapter 3.2.5.2 --- Treatment of experimental animals with 3H-AFB1 --- p.270 / Chapter 3.2.5.3 --- Optimisation of antiserum dilution and concentration of coating antigenin ELISA --- p.272 / Chapter 3.2.5.4 --- Analysis of standard AFB1 and AFB1- lysine in ELISA --- p.275 / Chapter 3.2.5.5 --- Sep-Pak C18 cartridge - elution characteristics and capacity --- p.279 / Chapter 3.2.5.6 --- Elution characteristics of immunoaffinity columns --- p.282 / Chapter 3.2.5.7 --- Immunoaffinity column experiment of AFB1-lysine --- p.290 / Chapter 3.2.5.8 --- Digestion of serum albumin by proteinase K --- p.295 / Chapter 3.2.5.9 --- Effect of ethanol in samples to be applied onto Sep-Pak C18 cartridges --- p.297 / Chapter 3.2.5.10 --- Recovery of radioactivity after dryingin a vacuum concentrator --- p.300 / Chapter 3.2.5.11 --- Recovery of the overall clean-up procedure for the analysis of serum albumin adducts of AFB1 --- p.300 / Chapter 3.2.5.12 --- HPLC analysis of samples obtained after all clean-up procedures --- p.305 / Chapter 3.2.5.13 --- The use of rabbit anti-AFB1 anti-serum and rat anti-AFB1 monoclonal antibody --- p.308 / Chapter 3.2.6 --- Summary --- p.309 / Chapter 3.3 --- Monitoring of AFBralbumin adducts in plasma of patients with liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma --- p.311 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Introduction --- p.311 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Material and methods --- p.314 / Chapter 3.3.2.1 --- Subject --- p.314 / Chapter 3.3.2.2 --- Sample collections --- p.315 / Chapter 3.3.2.4 --- Assay for AFB1-albumin adducts --- p.315 / Chapter 3.3.2.5 --- Statistical analysis --- p.318 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Results and discussion --- p.318 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Summary and Ideas for Further Studies --- p.330 / Acknowledgements --- p.333 / References --- p.335 / Appendices --- p.364