title: Fluoride content in khat (Catha edulis) chewing leaves.
abstract: Khat (qat) leaves are chewed for their psychostimulative effects; there is an unconfirmed suggestion that they contain a high concentration of fluoride (F). Khat samples from Yemen were suspended in deionized water, spun, and the supernatants exposed to a chelator that decomplexes F, which was assayed with an F(-)-electrode coupled to an ion analyser. F released into whole saliva after chewing khat for 15 min and from khat suspended in stimulated whole saliva for 1.5 h in vitro was measured also. Total F in dried khat leaves and their ash was assayed by the acid-hexamethyldisiloxane microdiffusion method. All methods demonstrated negligible amounts of F in or from khat leaves (<0.02 microg F/ml leached into water or saliva; 0.06 microg F/ml in saliva after chewing; 0.93 microg total F/g in dried leaf, 2.07 microg total F/g in ash).
authors.affiliation: Department of Restorative, Faculty of Dentistry, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid.
authors.forename: F N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Hattab
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Angmar-Månsson
mesh_terms: D029754:Catha; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000737:chemistry*; D005459:Fluorides / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry*; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D010936:Plant Extracts; D005459:Fluorides