A Survey of N'-Nitrosonornicotine (NNN) and Total Water Content in Select Smokeless Tobacco Products Purchased in the United States in 2015.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Ammann JR
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4889466 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
A Survey of N'-Nitrosonornicotine (NNN) and Total Water Content in Select Smokeless Tobacco Products Purchased in the United States in 2015.
Ammann Jeffrey R JR Lovejoy Katherine S KS Walters Matthew J MJ Holman Matthew R MR
Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 20160518 21
This investigation provides an updated survey measuring the levels of N'-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) and water content of a select number of smokeless tobacco products sold in the United States in 2015. A total of 34 smokeless tobacco products were collected and analyzed for NNN and water content using LC-MS/MS and GC-TCD, respectively. Smokeless tobacco products were chosen to obtain a representative sample of the different types of products on the U.S. market. These smokeless products represent 1 ...[more]
Similar Datasets
Project description:N-Nitrosonornicotine (NNN) is a human carcinogen present in cigarette smoke and smokeless tobacco. Urinary NNN is usually measured in order to assess the exposure to this toxicant for tobacco users. NNN excretion in urine can be highly biased due to the formation of NNN by nitrosation of nornicotine under acidic conditions, both endogenously and exogenously. Hence, urinary NNN levels may not necessarily correctly reflect the product-specific exposure. Measurement of plasma NNN may be less prone to endogenous formation due to the stable pH (7.4) of blood. We developed an LC-MS/MS method for the quantification of NNN using 1 mL of human plasma. Validation according to FDA guidelines proved that the method is selective and highly sensitive with an LLOQ of 0.3 pg/mL. Accuracy and precision averaged to 98.7 and 7.5% (CV), respectively. The assay was applied to plasma samples collected from 10 experienced moist smokeless tobacco users during and after a single use of 2 g of the product for 40 min under controlled use conditions. Blood was drawn at 15 time points over a 6 h time course. The maximum NNN concentration (Cmax) ranged from 3.5 to 10 pg/mL (mean: 7.1 pg/mL) at a tmax of 32 min. Plasma NNN and nicotine were found to have similar time courses. In conclusion, the determination of NNN in plasma may be fit-for-purpose to evaluate the product-use-specific exposure to this carcinogen.
| S-EPMC9019808 | biostudies-literature
Project description:There are an estimated 8 million users of smokeless tobacco products (STPs) in the United States, and yet limited data on microbial populations within these products exist. To better understand the potential microbiological risks associated with STP use, a study was conducted to provide a baseline microbiological profile of STPs. A total of 90 samples, representing 15 common STPs, were purchased in metropolitan areas in Little Rock, AR, and Washington, DC, in November 2012, March 2013, and July 2013. Bacterial populations were evaluated using culture, pyrosequencing, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Moist-snuff products exhibited higher levels of bacteria (average of 1.05 × 106 CFU/g STP) and diversity of bacterial populations than snus (average of 8.33 × 101 CFU/g STP) and some chewing tobacco products (average of 2.54 × 105 CFU/g STP). The most common species identified by culturing were Bacillus pumilus, B. licheniformis, B. safensis, and B. subtilis, followed by members of the genera Oceanobacillus, Staphylococcus, and Tetragenococcus. Pyrosequencing analyses of the 16S rRNA genes identified the genera Tetragenococcus, Carnobacterium, Lactobacillus, Geobacillus, Bacillus, and Staphylococcus as the predominant taxa. Several species identified are of possible concern due to their potential to cause opportunistic infections and reported abilities to reduce nitrates to nitrites, which may be an important step in the formation of carcinogenic tobacco-specific N'-nitrosamines. This report provides a microbiological baseline to help fill knowledge gaps associated with microbiological risks of STPs and to inform potential regulations regarding manufacture and testing of STPs.ImportanceIt is estimated that there 8 million users of smokeless tobacco products (STPs) in the United States; however, there are limited data on microbial populations that exist within these products. The current study was undertaken to better understand the potential microbiological risks associated with STP use and provide a baseline microbiological profile of STPs. Several bacterial species were identified that are of possible concern due to their potential to cause opportunistic infections. In addition, some species have abilities to reduce nitrates to nitrites, which may be an important step in the formation of carcinogenic tobacco-specific N'-nitrosamines. Overall, this report provides a microbiological baseline to help fill knowledge gaps related to the microbiological risks of STPs and to inform potential regulations regarding the manufacture and testing of STPs.
| S-EPMC5068160 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionSmokeless tobacco products such as snuff and snus are used worldwide. However, little is known about the systemic and cardiovascular toxicity of smokeless tobacco exposure.MethodsBiomarkers of endothelial activation and injury, immune functions, platelet activation and insulin resistance were measured in 8-week old male C57BL/6 mice exposed to commercial snuff, CRP-2 reference snuff, commercial snus, CRP-1 reference snus, and nicotine in drinking water (100 µg/mL) for 4, 12, and 24 weeks.ResultsTwenty-four weeks of exposure to smokeless tobacco products or nicotine significantly decreased the levels of circulating Flk+/Sca+ endothelial progenitor cells. Twelve and 24 weeks of exposure to all the smokeless tobacco products and nicotine significantly decreased the levels of circulating CD19+ B cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and CD11b+ monocytes, whereas 4 weeks of exposure to Camel snus and Copenhagen snuff significantly depleted the levels of peripheral blood CD19+ B cells and CD11b+ monocytes. Twenty-four weeks of exposure to smokeless tobacco products or nicotine significantly decreased plasma IFNγ levels. However, plasma TNFα levels were significantly increased in mice exposed to Copenhagen snuff or nicotine for 24 weeks. This was accompanied by a five to sevenfold increase in the hepatic expression of TNFα. Neither smokeless products nor nicotine affected plasma lipoproteins, platelet activation, or systemic insulin sensitivity.ConclusionsChronic exposure to snuff and snus suppresses circulating levels of EPCs, endothelial microparticles and immune cells, but increases plasma TNF-α levels. These effects of smokeless tobacco products are attributable, at least in part, to nicotine.ImplicationsExposure to smokeless tobacco products results in the depletion of endothelial progenitor cells, which may impair the endothelium repair. Suppression of the circulating levels of immune cells upon exposure to smokeless tobacco products may increase the susceptibility to secondary infection. Increased formation of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNFα by nicotine or Copenhagen snuff may lead to vascular inflammation and thereby exacerbate atherogenesis.
| S-EPMC6329408 | biostudies-literature
Project description:N'-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) is one of the tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) that exists widely in smoke and smokeless tobacco products. NNN can induce tumors in various laboratory animal models and has been identified by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a human carcinogen. Metabolic activation of NNN is primarily initiated by cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP450s) via 2'-hydroxylation or 5'-hydroxylation. Subsequently, the hydroxylating intermediates undergo spontaneous decomposition to generate diazohydroxides, which can be further converted to alkyldiazonium ions, followed by attacking DNA to form various DNA damages, such as pyridyloxobutyl (POB)-DNA adducts and pyridyl-N-pyrrolidinyl (py-py)-DNA adducts. If not repaired correctly, these lesions would lead to tumor formation. In the present study, we performed density functional theory (DFT) computations and molecular docking studies to understand the mechanism of metabolic activation and carcinogenesis of NNN. DFT calculations were performed to explore the 2'- or 5'- hydroxylation reaction of (R)-NNN and (S)-NNN. The results indicated that NNN catalyzed by the ferric porphyrin (Compound I, Cpd I) at the active center of CYP450 included two steps, hydrogen abstraction and rebound reactions. The free energy barriers of the 2'- and 5'-hydroxylation of NNN are 9.82/8.44 kcal/mol (R/S) and 7.99/9.19 kcal/mol (R/S), respectively, suggesting that the 2'-(S) and 5'-(R) pathways have a slight advantage. The free energy barriers of the decomposition occurred at the 2'-position and 5'-position of NNN are 18.04/18.02 kcal/mol (R/S) and 18.33/19.53 kcal/mol (R/S), respectively. Moreover, we calculated the alkylation reactions occurred at ten DNA base sites induced by the 2'-hydroxylation product of NNN, generating the free energy barriers ranging from 0.86 to 4.72 kcal/mol, which indicated that these reactions occurred easily. The docking study showed that (S)-NNN had better affinity with CYP450s than that of (R)-NNN, which was consistent with the experimental results. Overall, the combined results of the DFT calculations and the docking obtained in this study provide an insight into the understanding of the carcinogenesis of NNN and other TSNAs.
| S-EPMC6352179 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) have been of concern to the public health community for decades and their reduction through agricultural practices, plant breeding, and tobacco processing has also been a decades-long industry effort. Despite those efforts, TSNAs, though lower, continue to be constituents of concern in tobacco products. This paper examines the TSNA levels of dark air-cured, dark fire-cured, and burley tobaccos purchased in the United States by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC (USSTC) and of nine finished USSTC moist smokeless tobacco products. TSNA values of the incoming purchased tobaccos and the finished products showed considerable variability. For the incoming tobaccos, the coefficient of variation was generally more than 100 % for each tobacco type and for each of the measured TSNAs. The relative TSNA variability of the finished tobacco products was also considerable, averaging approximately 25 %. It was also found that the measured values for the finished products averaged well above the proposed FDA NNN proposed product standard of 1.0 ?g/g dry weight. Because of the large variability in NNN values, products would have to average well below FDA's proposed product standard to be consistently compliant.
| S-EPMC7317684 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Smokeless tobacco products (STP) contain bacteria, mold, and fungi due to exposure from surrounding environments and tobacco processing. This has been a cause for concern since the presence of microorganisms has been linked to the formation of highly carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines. These communities have also been reported to produce toxins and other pro-inflammatory molecules that can cause mouth lesions and elicit inflammatory responses in STP users. Moreover, microbial species in these products could transfer to the mouth and gastrointestinal tract, potentially altering the established respective microbiotas of the consumer. Here, we present the first metagenomic analysis of select smokeless tobacco products, specifically US domestic moist and dry snuff. Bacterial, eukaryotic, and viral species were found in all tobacco products where 68% of the total species was comprised of Bacteria with 3 dominant phyla but also included 32% Eukarya and 1% share abundance for Archaea and Viruses. Furthermore, 693,318 genes were found to be present and included nitrate and nitrite reduction and transport enzymes, antibiotic resistance genes associated with resistance to vancomycin, β-lactamases, their derivatives, and other antibiotics, as well as genes encoding multi-drug transporters and efflux pumps. Additional analyses showed the presence of endo- and exotoxin genes in addition to other molecules associated with inflammatory responses. Our results present a novel aspect of the smokeless tobacco microbiome and provide a better understanding of these products' microbiology. KEY POINTS: • The findings presented will help understand microbial contributions to overall STP chemistries. • Gene function categorization reveals harmful constituents outside canonical forms. • Pathway genes for TSNA precursor activity may occur at early stages of production. • Bacteria in STPs carry antibiotic resistance genes and gene transfer mechanisms.
| S-EPMC7849185 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Bangladesh exhibits the second highest rate of smokeless tobacco (SLT) product usage in the world, and this has been associated with the high upper aerodigestive tract cancer incidence in this country. The goal of the present study was to examine the levels of the highly carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) in Bangladeshi SLT products and compare these levels to that observed in SLT brands from southeast Asia and the USA. The levels of TSNAs and nicotine were determined by LC-MS/MS in twenty-eight SLT brands and several tobacco additives from Bangladesh, as well as several SLT brands from India, Pakistan and the USA. The levels of N-nitrosonornicotine (NNN), 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), N-nitrosoanatabine (NAT) and N-nitrosoanabasine (NAB) in Bangladeshi SLT brands ranged from 1.1-59, 0.15-34, 0.79-45, and 0.037-13 ?g/g SLT powder, respectively. The mean levels of the highly carcinogenic TSNAs (NNN+NNK) were 7.4-, 2.4-, and 63-fold higher in Bangladeshi SLT products as compared to SLT brands from the USA, India and Pakistan, respectively; these trends were also observed for NAT and NAB. Similar mean levels of nicotine were observed in the Bangladeshi brands (31 mg/g powder) versus brands from the USA (25 mg/g powder) and India (20 mg/g powder); they were 3-fold higher than brands from Pakistan (10 mg/g powder). Gul SLT brands exhibited the highest pH and the highest levels of unprotonated nicotine. The high levels of TSNAs in Bangladeshi SLT brands may be an important factor contributing to the high rates of upper aerodigestive tract cancer in Bangladesh.
| S-EPMC7250445 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Smokeless tobacco products contain numerous chemical compounds, including known human carcinogens. Other smokeless tobacco constituents, including bacteria, may also contribute to adverse health effects among smokeless tobacco users. However, there is a lack of data regarding the microbial constituents of smokeless tobacco. Our goal was to characterize the bacterial microbiota of different smokeless tobacco products and evaluate differences across product types and brands. DNA was extracted from 15 brands of smokeless tobacco products (including dry snuff, moist snuff, snus, and Swedish snus) and 6 handmade products (e.g., toombak) using an enzymatic and mechanical lysis approach. Bacterial community profiling was performed using PCR amplification of the V1-V2 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene, followed by 454 pyrosequencing of the resulting amplicons and sequence analysis using the QIIME package. Total viable counts were also determined to estimate the number of viable bacteria present in each product. Average total viable counts ranged from 0 to 9.35 × 107 CFU g-1. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed high bacterial diversity across the majority of products tested: dry snuff products where characterized by the highest diversity indices compared to other products. The most dominant bacterial phyla across all products were Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. Significant differences in both bacterial community composition and in silico predicted gene content were observed between smokeless tobacco product types and between brands of specific smokeless tobacco products. These data are useful in order to comprehensively address potential health risks associated with the use of smokeless tobacco products.
| S-EPMC5520664 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The major components of 70 brands of smokeless tobacco products (STPs) from Sweden and the US were determined to provide greater understanding of the general chemical composition of these products. Various styles of STPs were examined: loose and portion snus from Sweden, and chewing tobacco, dry snuff, moist snuff, hard pellet, soft pellet and plug from the US. The components analysed were major STP components such as water, nicotine, sugars, humectants, sodium ions, chloride ions and ash. The relative quantities of the components varied significantly between different styles of STP. The major component of moist snuff and Swedish loose snus is water. With Swedish portion snus water and pouch material comprise more than half of the product mass; with chewing tobaccos water and sugars comprise around 60% of the products. With these STPs, tobacco was a minor component (30-35%) of the product mass. By way of contrast, tobacco comprised the majority (around 70-90%) of the product mass with dry snuff, hard pellet and soft pellet products. Additives such as sugars, propylene glycol, glycerol, and sodium chloride comprised up to around 12% of the STPs, except for plug and chewing tobaccos where sugars comprised 15-30% by mass of the STP on average. Significant disagreements were found amongst alternative methods of determining water/moisture content for STPs. In particular the oven method, commonly used to determine moisture in tobacco, gave significantly higher values than the Karl Fischer water method when propylene glycol was present. Smaller but similar differences were found using the Near-Infrared method. Choice of measurement technique has important consequences for accuracy of toxicant levels when reporting on a dry-weight basis, a commonly used parameter in smokeless tobacco research and emerging regulatory standards. Conversion to a DWB was also found to produce a preferential bias between and within different STP categories in favour of drier products. These data provide greater understanding of differences in the compositions of contemporary smokeless tobacco products, and demonstrate challenges associated with conversion of actual product contents to dry weight basis values.
| S-EPMC6661804 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionThe objective was to systematically review studies on health outcomes from smokeless tobacco (SLT) products.MethodsWe analysed published literature on the health outcomes from SLT use between 01/01/2015 to 01/02/2020, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol using PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar.ResultsOf 53 studies included, six were global, 32 from Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA), nine from USA and six from Europe. 'Poor'-rated studies predominated (23;43%), in particular, for global (4;66%) and AMEA (16;50%). Health outcomes differed between SLT-products and regions; those in AMEA were associated with higher mortality (overall, cancer, Coronary heart disease (CHD), respiratory but not cardiovascular disease (CVD)), and morbidity (CVD, oral and head and neck cancers), with odds ratios up to 38.7. European studies showed no excess mortality (overall, CVD, from cancers) or morbidity (ischemic heart disease (IHD), stroke, oral, head and neck, pancreatic or colon cancers) from several meta-analyses; single studies reported elevated risk of rectal cancer and respiratory disorders. Pooled study data showed protection against developing Parkinson's disease. US studies showed mixed results for mortality (raised overall, CHD, cancer and smoking-related cancer mortality; no excess risk of respiratory or CVD mortality). Morbidity outcomes were also mixed, with some evidence of increased IHD, stroke and cancer risk (oral, head and neck). No studies reported on switching from cigarettes to SLT-products.ConclusionOur review demonstrates stark differences between different SLT-products in different regions, ranging from zero harm from European snus to greatly increased health risks in AMEA. The literature on the safety profile for SLT-products for harm reduction is incomplete and potentially misinforming policy and regulation.
| S-EPMC8643012 | biostudies-literature