Acetaminophen adducts and methods of use thereof

A method of detecting acetaminophen-induced toxicity in a subject having or suspected of having acetaminophen-induced toxicity, the method comprising:

• a) obtaining a biological sample from the subject;
• b) measuring the total amount of acetaminophen-protein adduct in the sample, wherein the acetaminophen-protein adducts are detected using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or an immunoassay comprising an antibody with specific for NAPQI bound to a protein through a 3-(cystein-S-yl) APAP (3-Cys-A)-protein linkage;
• and
• c) comparing the amount of acetaminophen-protein adduct in the sample to a reference value, wherein a greater amount of acetaminophen-protein adduct in the sample compared to the reference value indicates acetaminophen-induced toxicity in the subject.

A method to determine if hepatotoxicity in a subject is due to acetaminophen-induced toxicity, the method comprising:

• a) obtaining a biological sample from a subject with symptoms of hepatotoxicity;
• b) b) measuring the total amount of acetaminophen-protein adduct in the sample, wherein the acetaminophen-protein adducts are detected using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or an immunoassay comprising an antibody with specific for NAPQI bound to a protein through a 3-(cystein-S-yl) APAP (3-Cys-A)-protein linkage;
• and
• c) determining if acetaminophen-protein adduct is present, wherein if acetaminophen-protein adduct is not present, the hepatotoxicity in the subject is not due to acetaminophen-induced toxicity and wherein if one or more acetaminophen-protein adduct is present, comparing the amount of one or more acetaminophen-protein adduct in the sample to a reference value, wherein a greater amount of acetaminophen-protein adduct in the sample compared to the reference value indicates the hepatotoxicity in the subject is due to acetaminophen-induced toxicity.