title: [Detection of metabolites of tobacco-specific nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone in lung cancer smokers' urine].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It was reported that tobacco-specific nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) was a powerful pulmonary carcinogen, predominantly inducing adenocarcinoma of the lung in mouse. The aim of this study is to assay metabolites of NNK, which are 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) and its O-glucuronide (NNAL-Gluc), and their ratio (NNAL-Gluc/NNAL) in smokers and non-smokers' urine, and to explore the carcinogenicity of NNK among different people.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using high pressure liquid chromatograph (HPLC) and gas chromatograph-mass tadom (GC-MS/MS), NNAL-Gluc and NNAL in 24h urine were detected in 8 healthy smokers, 10 lung cancer smokers and 4 healthy non-smokers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both of the two metabolites were not found in non-smokers' urine. The ratios of urine NNAL-Gluc/NNAL were greatly different among different smokers. The mean ratio of NNAL-Gluc/NNAL in healthy smokers was 4.95, and 0.5 in lung cancer smokers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results provide the first evidence for metabolite detection of tobacco-specific nitrosamine in Chinese smokers' urine . The result suggests that detoxification ability of healthy smokers is higher than that of lung cancer smokers. It may provide a detective way to screen high risk people for lung cancer in smokers.
authors.affiliation: Branch Laboratory of Lung Cancer, Beijing Laboratory of Cancer Molecular Biology, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Research Institute, Beijing 101149, P.R.China.
authors.forename: Tongmei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Baitang
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Lianshan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Xiaojue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang