The concept of the Exposome is a compilation of diseases and one's lifetime exposure to chemicals, whether the exposure comes from environmental, dietary, or occupational exposures; or endogenous chemicals that are formed from normal metabolism, inflammation, oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, infections, and other natural metabolic processes such as alteration of the gut microbiome. In this review, we have focused on the endogenous exposome, the DNA damage that arises from the production of endogenous electrophilic molecules in our cells. It provides quantitative data on endogenous DNA damage and its relationship to mutagenesis, with emphasis on when exogenous chemical exposures that produce identical DNA adducts to those arising from normal metabolism cause significant increases in total identical DNA adducts. We have utilized stable isotope labeled chemical exposures of animals and cells, so that accurate relationships between endogenous and exogenous exposures can be determined. Advances in mass spectrometry have vastly increased both the sensitivity and accuracy of such studies. Furthermore, we have clear evidence of which sources of exposure drive low dose biology that results in mutations and disease. These data provide much needed information to impact quantitative risk assessments, in the hope of moving towards the use of science, rather than default assumptions.

A novel monoclonal antibody, YB-2 was obtained after immunization of mice with fucosylated antigens isolated from human saliva. The antibody was demonstrated to react with Y (Fuc alpha 1-->2Gal-beta 1-->4[Fuc alpha 1-->3]GlcNAc beta),Leb (Fuc alpha 1-->2Gal beta 1-->3[Fuc alpha 1-->4]GlcNAc beta) and H type 2 (Fuc alpha 1-->2Gal-beta 1-->4GlcNAc beta) antigens, but not with H type 1 (Fuc alpha 1-->2Gal beta 1-->3GlcNAc beta), Lea (Gal beta 1-->3[Fuc alpha 1-->4]GlcNAc beta), X (Gal beta 1-->4[Fuc alpha 1-->3]GlcNAc beta) or with non-fucosylated antigens. Inhibition assays of YB-2 antibody with such reactive antigens showed that YB-2 antibody preferentially reacted with Y antigen. Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded sections prepared from normal and malignant colorectal tissues were examined immunohistochemically with YB-2. The positive rates of staining with YB-2 antibody were 88.6% in malignant and 12.0% in normal tissues. The expression of fucosylated antigens detected by YB-2 antibody seemed to be correlated with survival among patients with primary colorectal cancer. Therefore, YB-2 antibody could be useful as an immunochemical tool for diagnosis and evaluation of the prognosis of colorectal cancer.