title: Studies in tobacco carcinogenesis.
abstract: The vapour phase of freshly generated cigarette mainstream smoke, of sidestream smoke and of environmental tobacco smoke was analysed for such tumorigenic agents as benzene, 1,3-butadiene and acrolein with a newly developed, highly sensitive gas chromatography-mass selective detection method. The major carcinogen in tobacco smoke, catechol, was studied in regard to its specific action on the metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene in mouse lung and mouse skin. The major tobacco-specific carcinogens in tobacco and its smoke are the nicotine-derived N-nitrosamines, N'-nitrosonornicotine and 4-(nitroso-methylamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone. A third nitrosamine that can be formed in vitro by nitrosation of nicotine is 1-(nitrosomethylamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)butylaldehyde. This aldehyde is not present in tobacco products, but its noncarcinogenic oxidation product, 4-(nitrosomethylamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)butyric acid, was found in tobacco and can be formed from the major nicotine metabolite, cotinine. It is also likely that this acid can be formed by endogenous reactions.
authors.affiliation: Naylor Dana Institute for Disease Prevention, American Health Foundation, Valhalla, NY.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Melikian
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Brunnemann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001564:Benzo(a)pyrene / Q000378:metabolism; D002396:Catechols / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D009602:Nitrosamines / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D012906:Smoke / Q000032:analysis*; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000032:analysis*; D014835:Volatilization
chemical_list: D002396:Catechols; D009602:Nitrosamines; D012906:Smoke; D001564:Benzo(a)pyrene; C034221:catechol