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J.Health Sci., 57(1), 53-59, 2011

-Regular Article-

Determination of 3,6-Dinitrobenzo[e]pyrene in Tea Leaves as a Possible Exposure Source and in Human Hair as a Biomarker Using a Two-dimensional HPLC System

Tomohiro Hasei,* Atsumi Ohno, Rie Tsukuda, Tatsuro Inoue, and Tetsushi Watanabe

Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, 5 Nakauchi-cho, Misasagi, Yamashina-ku, Kyoto 607-8414, Japan

3,6-Dinitrobenzo[e]pyrene (DNBeP) is an extremely strong mutagen in Salmonella Typhimurium TA98 without a mammalian metabolic system (S9 mix). 3,6-DNBeP shows genotoxicity in vitro to mammalian cells, and produces DNA damage in the cells of several organs in mice in the comet assay. In a previous study, we developed an analytical method and clarified that 3,6-DNBeP widely exists in the environment, i.e., surface soil and airborne particles, and that diesel engines and municipal incinerators are probable sources of 3,6-DNBeP. In this study, we improved the method of analyzing 3,6-DNBeP by combining one step of clean-up and fluorescence detection utilizing a two-dimensional HPLC system, and analyzed 3,6-DNBeP in tea leaves (n=6), which is a possible exposure source of 3,6-DNBeP in our daily life, and in human hair samples (n=8), as a possible biomarker of 3,6-DNBeP. 3,6-DNBeP was detected in all examined tea leaves and human hair as single peaks on the chromatograms, and was well purified by the HPLC system. 3,6-DNBeP was detected in the range of 8-1823 pg/g of tea leaves and the amount of 3,6-DNBeP in tea leaves differed depending on the growth site of the tea leaves. 3,6-DNBeP in human hair was detected in the range of 11-121 pg/g of hair and 86-1576 pg/mg of eumelanin. These results suggested that tea leaf is a possible source of exposure to 3,6-DNBeP and that 3,6-DNBeP detected in hair might reflect human exposure to 3,6-DNBeP.