Alkaloid-derived nitrosamines

The alkaloid derived nitrosamines in cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco contribute to the quantities of these carcinogens in the smoke because of their partial transfer (32). 

Andersen, R.A., H.R. Burton, P.D. Eleming, T.R. Hamilton-Kemp, and S.L. Gay Effects of an air-curing environment on alkaloid derived nitrosamines in burley tobacco in V-Nitroso compounds to human cancer Exposures and mechanisms, edited by H. Bartsch, I.K. O Neill, and R. Schulte-Hermann, lARC, Lyon, Erance, lARC Sci. Publ. No. 84 (1987) 451 55. 

Mass spectra of tobacco alkaloid-derived nitrosamines,... 

Figure 7. Some nitrosamines which can be derived from the tobacco alkaloids.

The saliva of betel nut chewers contains nitrosamines derived from areca nut alkaloids (4), and the use of areca nuts has been widely imphcated in the development of oral cancers. 

Tobacco alkaloids, transformation into nitrosamines 79ACR92. Tubocurarine derivatives, structure (X-ray) data of 82RTC81. 

Hecht, S.S. and A.R. Tricker Nitrosamines derived from nicotine and other tobacco alkaloids Chapter 11 in Analytical determination of nicotine and related compounds and their metabohtes, edited by J.W. Gorrod and P. lacob III, Elsevier, New York NY (1999) 421 88. Hecht, S.S., T.C. Tso, and D. Hoffmann Approaches to the reduction of nitrosamines and aromatic amines in Modifying the risk for the smoker. Proc. 3rd World Conf. on Smoking and Health, edited by E.L. Wynder, D. Hoffmann, and G.B. Gori, 1975, DHEW Publ. No. (NIH) 76-1221 (1976) 535-545. 

Nitrosamines are produced in foodstuffs from reactions of nitrites (added as preservatives to bacon and other processed meat products) with amines in (or derived from) the foodstuff, particularly during cooking, e.g., frying anti-oxidants such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C) are added to such foodstuffs to inhibit formation of nitrosamines. A source of nitrosamines that may be of interest to some analytical chemists is beer, in this case attributed (Sen 1983) to reaction of nitrogen oxides with alkaloids (usually present in germinated malt) during the drying process. NMDA can also be formed inadvertently in a number of industrial processes. 

The formation of tobacco-specific nitrosamines from nicotine and related tobacco alkaloids under mild conditions suggested that they should be present in tobacco and tobacco smoke. Nicotine-derived nirosamino ketone (NNK) and hT-nitrosonornico-tine (NNN) have the properties of organ specificity in that the former induces lung tumours in rats and the latter nasal tumours, independent of the route of administration, these compounds are also effec-... 

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