title: Analysis of Alkaloids in Areca Nut-Containing Products by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.
abstract: Chewing of areca nut in different forms such as betel quid or commercially produced pan masala and gutkha is common practice in the Indian subcontinent and many parts of Asia and is associated with a variety of negative health outcomes, particularly oral and esophageal cancers. Areca nut-specific alkaloids arecoline, arecaidine, guvacoline, and guvacine have been implicated in both the abuse liability and the carcinogenicity of the areca nut. Therefore, variations in the levels of areca alkaloids could potentially contribute to variations in addictive and carcinogenic potential across areca nut-containing products. Here, we developed an accurate and robust liquid chromatography-tandem mass-spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for simultaneous quantitation of all four areca alkaloids and applied this method to the analysis of a range of products obtained from India, China, and the United States. The results of the analyses revealed substantial variations in the levels of alkaloids across the tested products, with guvacine being the most abundant (1.39-8.16 mg/g), followed by arecoline (0.64-2.22 mg/g), arecaidine (0.14-1.70 mg/g), and guvacoline (0.17-0.99 mg/g). Substantial differences in the relative contribution of individual alkaloids to the total alkaloid content were also observed among the different products. Our results highlight the need for systematic surveillance of constituent levels in areca nut-containing products and a better understanding of the relationship between the chemical profile and the harmful potential of these products.
authors.affiliation: Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota , 2231 Sixth Street SE, Minneapolis 55455, United States.
authors.forename: Vipin
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Oncosurgery, Tata Memorial Hospital , Mumbai 400012, India.
authors.forename: Apurva
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.affiliation: Tobacco Control Research Branch, National Cancer Institute , Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parascandola
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Oncosurgery, Tata Memorial Hospital , Mumbai 400012, India.
authors.forename: Pankaj
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chaturvedi
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Minnesota , 420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis 55455, United States.
authors.forename: Samir S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Khariwala
authors.affiliation: Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota , 2231 Sixth Street SE, Minneapolis 55455, United States.|Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota , 2231 Sixth Street SE, Minneapolis 55455, United States.
authors.forename: Irina
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5140-8944
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stepanov
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D001114:Areca / Q000737:chemistry*; D002681:China; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D007194:India; D009754:Nuts / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry*; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: LC−MS/MS; areca nut; arecaidine; arecoline; guvacine; guvacoline