Summary
Betel quid chewing is strongly associated with cancer of the oral cavity, especially when tobacco is added to the quid. It is our working hypothesis that, during chewing, Areca-derived N-nitrosamines are formed and, in the presence of tobacco, Nicotiana-specific N-nitrosamines are formed as well and further that these agents may contribute to the high risk of oral cancer in betel-quid chewers. This preliminary report presents our finding of N-nitrosoguvacoline in the saliva of betel-quid chewers (2.2–350 ppb). When the quid contains tobacco, the tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines, N′-nitrosonornicotine (1.2–38.3 ppb), N′-nitrosoanatabine (3.2–39.5 ppb), and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (1.0–2.3 ppb) are also found in the saliva.
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Abbreviations
- NG:
-
N-nitrosoguvacoline
- MNPA:
-
3-(methylnitrosamino)propionaldehyde
- MNPN:
-
3-(methylnitrosamino)propionitrile
- NNN:
-
N′-nitrosonornicotine
- NNK:
-
4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone
- NAT:
-
N′-nitrosoanatabine
- TSNA:
-
tobacco-specific nitrosamines
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Dedicated to Professor Hermann Druckrey on the occasion of his 80th birthday
The study is supported by U.S. National Cancer Institute Grant CA-29580
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Wenke, G., Brunnemann, K.D., Hoffmann, D. et al. A study of betel quid carcinogenesis. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 108, 110–113 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00390981
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00390981