Total and unprotonated (freebase) nicotine content in new types of oral 'tobacco-free' nicotine products.

Significance: Nicotine-containing products, labelled as being 'tobacco-free' nicotine (TFN), are marketed to consumers as alternatives to conventional tobacco products. Little is known about these emerging products and their contents.

Methods: Moisture, total nicotine and pH content were analysed in 70 commercially available TFN products, covering five different types (lozenges, chewing gum, loose leaf, toothpicks and pouches).

An update on the formation in tobacco, toxicity and carcinogenicity of N'-nitrosonornicotine and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone.

The tobacco-specific nitrosamines N'-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) are considered 'carcinogenic to humans' by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and are believed to be important in the carcinogenic effects of both smokeless tobacco and combusted tobacco products. This short review focuses on the results of recent studies on the formation of NNN and NNK in tobacco, and their carcinogenicity and toxicity in laboratory animals. New mechanistic insights are presented regarding the role of dissimilatory nitrate reductases in certain microorganisms involved in the conversion of nitrate to nitrite that leads to the formation of NNN and NNK during curing and processing of tobacco.

From cultivation to cancer: formation of -nitrosamines and other carcinogens in smokeless tobacco and their mutagenic implications.

Tobacco use is a major cause of preventable morbidity and mortality globally. Tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco (ST), generally contain tobacco-specific -nitrosamines (TSNAs), such as '-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-butanone (NNK), which are potent carcinogens that cause mutations in critical genes in human DNA. This review covers the series of biochemical and chemical transformations, related to TSNAs, leading from tobacco cultivation to cancer initiation.

Associations between microbial communities and key chemical constituents in U.S. domestic moist snuff.

Background: Smokeless tobacco (ST) products are widely used throughout the world and contribute to morbidity and mortality in users through an increased risk of cancers and oral diseases. Bacterial populations in ST contribute to taste, but their presence can also create carcinogenic, Tobacco-Specific N-nitrosamines (TSNAs). Previous studies of microbial communities in tobacco products lacked chemistry data (e.

Shotgun metagenome sequencing of a Sudanese toombak snuff tobacco: genetic attributes of a high tobacco-specific nitrosamine containing smokeless tobacco product.

The most alarming aspect of the Sudanese toombak smokeless tobacco is that it contains high levels of highly toxic tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs). Understanding the microbiology of toombak is of relevance because TSNAs are an indirect result of microbial-mediated nitrate reductions. We conducted shotgun metagenomic sequencing on a toombak product for which relevant features are presented here.

A Low-Cost, High-Throughput Digital Image Analysis of Stain Patterns on Smoked Cigarette Filter Butts to Estimate Mainstream Smoke Exposure.

Standard machine smoking protocols provide useful information for examining the impact of design parameters, such as filter ventilation, on mainstream smoke delivery. Unfortunately, their results do not accurately reflect human smoke exposure. Clinical research and topography devices in human studies yield insights into how products are used, but a clinical setting or smoking a cigarette attached to such a device may alter smoking behavior.

Characterization of Total and Unprotonated (Free) Nicotine Content of Nicotine Pouch Products.

Introduction: Nicotine pouch products, oral smokeless products that contain nicotine but no tobacco leaf material, have recently entered the US marketplace. Available data indicate sales of these products in the United States have increased since 2018; however, the extent of use among US youth and adults is uncertain.

Methods: To assay the chemistry of these emerging tobacco products, we analyzed 37 nicotine pouch brands from six total manufacturers.

Microbial communities and gene contributions in smokeless tobacco products.

Smokeless tobacco products (STP) contain bacteria, mold, and fungi due to exposure from surrounding environments and tobacco processing. This has been a cause for concern since the presence of microorganisms has been linked to the formation of highly carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines. These communities have also been reported to produce toxins and other pro-inflammatory molecules that can cause mouth lesions and elicit inflammatory responses in STP users.

LC-MS/MS Analysis of Sugars, Alditols, and Humectants in Smokeless Tobacco Products.

Globally, smokeless tobacco (ST) includes a wide array of chemically diverse products generally used in the oral cavity. Although ST has been widely investigated, this study was undertaken to determine the levels of sugars (mono- and di-saccharides), alditols, and humectants present in major ST categories/subcategories by using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (HPLC-MS/MS). The products studied included chewing tobacco (loose leaf, plug, twist), US moist snuff, Swedish snus, creamy snuff, dry snuff, dissolvable tobacco products, and tobacco-coated toothpicks.

Chemical analysis of snus products from the United States and northern Europe.

Introduction: Snus is an oral tobacco product that originated in Sweden. Snus products are available as fine-cut loose tobacco or in pre-portioned porous "pouches." Some snus products undergo tobacco pasteurization during manufacturing, a process that removes or reduces nitrite-forming microbes, resulting in less tobacco-specific nitrosamine content in the product.

An exploration of smokeless tobacco product nucleic acids: a combined metagenome and metatranscriptome analysis.

Smokeless tobacco (ST) products are used worldwide and are a major public health concern. In addition to harmful chemicals found in these products, microbes found in ST products are believed to be responsible for generating harmful tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), the most abundant carcinogens in ST. These microbes also contribute endotoxins and other pro-inflammatory components.

Monoamine oxidase inhibitory activity of flavoured e-cigarette liquids.

Background And Aims: Monoamine oxidase inhibitors have been hypothesised to be important in tobacco dependence, reinforcing the brain's response to nicotine by delaying the degradation of neurotransmitters by monoamine oxidases. The development of electronic cigarettes has provided an alternative nicotine delivery system, which is widely viewed as less toxic than tobacco smoke. However, significant data gaps remain.

Surveillance of Nicotine and pH in Cigarette and Cigar Filler.

Objective: We examined differences between nicotine concentrations and pH in cigarette and cigar tobacco filler.

Methods: Nicotine and pH levels for 50 cigarette and 75 cigar brands were measured. Non-mentholated and mentholated cigarette products were included in the analysis along with several cigar types as identified by the manufacturer: large cigars, pipe tobacco cigars, cigarillos, mini cigarillos, and little cigars.

Smokeless tobacco products harbor diverse bacterial microbiota that differ across products and brands.

Smokeless tobacco products contain numerous chemical compounds, including known human carcinogens. Other smokeless tobacco constituents, including bacteria, may also contribute to adverse health effects among smokeless tobacco users. However, there is a lack of data regarding the microbial constituents of smokeless tobacco.

Restoring the Duality between Principal Components of a Distance Matrix and Linear Combinations of Predictors, with Application to Studies of the Microbiome.

Appreciation of the importance of the microbiome is increasing, as sequencing technology has made it possible to ascertain the microbial content of a variety of samples. Studies that sequence the 16S rRNA gene, ubiquitous in and nearly exclusive to bacteria, have proliferated in the medical literature. After sequences are binned into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) or species, data from these studies are summarized in a data matrix with the observed counts from each OTU for each sample.

Characterization of Bacterial Communities in Selected Smokeless Tobacco Products Using 16S rDNA Analysis.

The bacterial communities present in smokeless tobacco (ST) products have not previously reported. In this study, we used Next Generation Sequencing to study the bacteria present in U.S.

Nicotine delivery and pharmacologic response from Verve, an oral nicotine delivery product.

Verve, an oral nicotine delivery product (ONDP), was introduced by Nu Mark (Altria Client Group, Richmond VA) for smokers to use in places where smoking is prohibited. This study assessed the effect of this ONDP on plasma nicotine levels, heart rate, product satisfaction, and ability to suppress smoking urge and cigarette cravings. Thirteen daily cigarette smokers [8 men and 5 women; average age 33.

Comprehensive chemical characterization of Rapé tobacco products: Nicotine, un-ionized nicotine, tobacco-specific N'-nitrosamines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and flavor constituents.

Rapé, a diverse group of smokeless tobacco products indigenous to South America, is generally used as a nasal snuff and contains substantial amount of plant material with or without tobacco. Previously uncharacterized, rapé contains addictive and harmful chemicals that may have public health implications for users. Here we report % moisture, pH, and the levels of total nicotine, un-ionized nicotine, flavor-related compounds, tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) for manufactured and hand-made rapé.

Chemical Composition and Evaluation of Nicotine, Tobacco Alkaloids, pH, and Selected Flavors in E-Cigarette Cartridges and Refill Solutions.

Introduction: Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is increasing dramatically in developed countries, but little is known about these rapidly evolving products. This study analyzed and evaluated the chemical composition including nicotine, tobacco alkaloids, pH, and flavors in 36 e-liquids brands from 4 manufacturers.

Methods: We determined the concentrations of nicotine, alkaloids, and select flavors and measured pH in solutions used in e-cigarettes.

Custom Mentholation of Commercial Cigarettes for Research Purposes.

In the U.S. menthol remains the sole permitted characterizing cigarette flavor additive in part because efforts to link menthol cigarette use to increased tobacco-related disease risk have been inconclusive.

Quantitation of Ten Flavor Compounds in Unburned Tobacco Products.

Most research on unburned tobacco has focused on the harmful chemicals associated with the tobacco itself. However, certain flavor additives in tobacco products can pose additional health risks. Flavors like camphor, coumarin, pulegone, eugenol, methyl salicylate, menthol and diphenyl ether have exhibited biological activity and/or toxicity in both lab animals and humans.

Chemical characterization of domestic oral tobacco products: total nicotine, pH, unprotonated nicotine and tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines.

In the United States, moist snuff has been studied more widely than other distinct categories of oral tobacco. In this study, we measured pH, moisture, nicotine (total and unprotonated), and tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNAs) for other established (twist, loose leaf, plug, and dry snuff without pouch) and emerging oral tobacco products (dry snuff pouch, US-made snus, and dissolvable tobacco). Among the seven product categories, product pH ranged from 4.

Application of GC-MS/MS for the analysis of tobacco alkaloids in cigarette filler and various tobacco species.

This publication reports the first known use of gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the quantitation of five minor tobacco alkaloids (nornicotine, myosmine, anabasine, anatabine, and isonicoteine) in various tobacco samples. A summary of the concentrations of these minor alkaloid levels in the filler from 50 popular cigarette brands were found to be 659-986 μg/g nornicotine, 8.64-17.

Chemical analysis of Alaskan Iq'mik smokeless tobacco.

Introduction: Iq'mik, a form of smokeless tobacco (ST), is traditionally used by Cup'ik and Yup'ik Eskimo people of western Alaska. Iq'mik is sometimes incorrectly considered to be a healthier alternative to smoking because its ingredients are perceived as "natural." Our chemical characterization of iq'mik shows that iq'mik is not a safe alternative to smoking or other ST use.