Trace analysis of nitrosated foodstuffs for nitrosamides

Dietary Carcinogens and DNA Adducts in Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PC) is the most commonly diagnosed non-cutaneous cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related to death in men. The major risk factors for PC are age, family history, and African American ethnicity. Epidemiological studies have reported large geographical variations in PC incidence and mortality, and thus lifestyle and dietary factors influence PC risk. High fat diet, dairy products, alcohol and red meats, are considered as risk factors for PC. This book chapter provides a comprehensive, literature-based review on dietary factors and their molecular mechanisms of prostate carcinogenesis. A large portion of our knowledge is based on epidemiological studies where dietary factors such as cancer promoting agents, including high-fat, dairy products, alcohol, and cancer-initiating genotoxicants formed in cooked meats have been evaluated for PC risk. However, the precise mechanisms in the etiology of PC development remain uncertain. Additional animal and human cell-based studies are required to further our understandings of risk factors involved in PC etiology. Specific biomarkers of chemical exposures and DNA damage in the prostate can provide evidence of cancer-causing agents in the prostate. Collectively, these studies can improve public health research, nutritional education and chemoprevention strategies.

Re-evaluation of potassium nitrite (E 249) and sodium nitrite (E 250) as food additives

The Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS) provided a scientific opinion re-evaluating the safety of potassium nitrite (E 249) and sodium nitrite (E 250) when used as food additives. The ADIs established by the SCF (1997) and by JECFA (2002) for nitrite were 0-0.06 and 0-0.07 mg/kg bw per day, respectively. The available information did not indicate in vivo genotoxic potential for sodium and potassium nitrite. Overall, an ADI for nitrite per se could be derived from the available repeated dose toxicity studies in animals, also considering the negative carcinogenicity results. The Panel concluded that an increased methaemoglobin level, observed in human and animals, was a relevant effect for the derivation of the ADI. The Panel, using a BMD approach, derived an ADI of 0.07 mg nitrite ion/kg bw per day. The exposure to nitrite resulting from its use as food additive did not exceed this ADI for the general population, except for a slight exceedance in children at the highest percentile. The Panel assessed the endogenous formation of nitrosamines from nitrites based on the theoretical calculation of the NDMA produced upon ingestion of nitrites at the ADI and estimated a MoE > 10,000. The Panel estimated the MoE to exogenous nitrosamines in meat products to be < 10,000 in all age groups at high level exposure. Based on the results of a systematic review, it was not possible to clearly discern nitrosamines produced from the nitrite added at the authorised levels, from those found in the food matrix without addition of external nitrite. In epidemiological studies there was some evidence to link (i) dietary nitrite and gastric cancers and (ii) the combination of nitrite plus nitrate from processed meat and colorectal cancers. There was evidence to link preformed NDMA and colorectal cancers.

Dietary components related to N-nitroso compound formation: a prospective study of adult glioma

BACKGROUND

N-nitroso compounds (NOC) are found in processed meat and are formed endogenously from intake of nitrite and nitrate. Endogenous NOC formation is antagonized by nitrosation inhibitors in fruit and vegetables (e.g., vitamin C) and promoted by heme in red meat. It has been hypothesized that a diet resulting in high exposure to NOCs increases adult glioma risk.

METHODS

Using proportional hazards models, we tested this hypothesis among 545,770 participants in the prospective NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, which assessed dietary intake at baseline (1995-1996) with a comprehensive food frequency questionnaire, and at ages 12 to 13 years with an abbreviated food frequency questionnaire.

RESULTS

During follow-up through 2003, 585 participants were diagnosed with glioma. We found no significant trends in glioma risk for consumption of processed or red meat, nitrate, or vitamin C or E. We found significant positive trends for nitrite intake from plant sources (hazard ratio for quintile 5 versus quintile 1, 1.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.20-2.10; P for trend = 0.028) and, unexpectedly, for fruit and vegetable intake (hazard ratio, 1.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.86; P for trend = 0.0081). Examination of interactions between dietary intakes (e.g., nitrite and vitamin C) and a limited analysis of diet at ages 12 to 13 years provided no support for the NOC hypothesis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that consumption of processed or red meat, nitrite, or nitrate does not increase adult glioma risk, and that consumption of fruit and vegetables, vitamin C, or vitamin E does not reduce risk.

IMPACT

Our results, in agreement with the only previous prospective analysis, cast doubt on the NOC hypothesis in relation to dietary intake and adult glioma risk.

A review: dietary and endogenously formed N-nitroso compounds and risk of childhood brain tumors

Maternal dietary exposure to N-nitroso compounds (NOC) or to their precursors during pregnancy has been associated with risk of childhood brain tumors. Cured meat is one source of exposure to dietary NOC and their precursors. Most epidemiological studies that have examined the role of maternal consumption of cured meats during pregnancy have found a significant positive association between maternal intake of cured meat and the risk of childhood brain tumor (CBT). NOC consist of two main groups, N-nitrosamines and N-nitrosamides. The carcinogenicity profiles of NOC suggest that N-nitrosamides rather than N-nitrosamines are the compounds that may be associated with CBT and that they should be investigated more closely in epidemiological studies. We present a review of the chemical and carcinogenic properties of NOC in connection with the findings of case-control studies. This approach may be helpful in determining the essential information that must be collected in future epidemiological studies on CBT.

Differences between children and adults: implications for risk assessment at California EPA

The California legislature enacted a law requiring the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) to evaluate whether our risk assessment methodologies are adequately protective of infants and children. In addition both OEHHA and the California Air Resources Board must examine whether the Ambient Air Quality Standards set for criteria air pollutants and the health values developed for air toxics are adequately protective of infants and children. We have initiated a program to look at potential differences in response to toxicants between children and adults. We are evaluating this issue from the perspective of exposure differences as well as toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic differences between children and adults. Data on specific chemicals are rather limited. As a result, we will be pooling information to determine whether there are generic differences between children and adults that may be applicable to risk assessment in general or to risk assessment of specific classes of compounds. This paper discusses the rationale for approaching the issue of determining whether our risk assessment methods are adequate for infants and children and includes a discussion of some of the available information on both qualitative and quantitative differences in response to toxicants between children and adults or immature and mature laboratory animals. We provide examples of differences between children and adults in absorption, metabolism, and excretion of toxicants as well as qualitative differences in toxic response.

Childhood cancer in relation to cured meat intake: review of the epidemiological evidence

Over the past two decades a series of epidemiological studies have examined the relationship between consumption of cured meats during pregnancy and the subsequent risk of brain tumors, as well as other cancers, in the offspring. The research was prompted in large part by experimental investigations showing that transplacental exposure to certain N-nitroso compounds, i.e., nitrosoureas, could produce brain tumors in laboratory animals. Fourteen such epidemiological studies, 13 of which used the case-control approach, are reviewed here. Most of the studies showed no significant association between total cured meat intake and childhood cancer risk but more found positive than negative relationships. Furthermore, several studies reported significant positive associations for maternal and sometimes childhood or paternal consumption of one or more cured meats, with odds ratios of twofold or greater reported among the highest consumers. On the other hand, a correlation analysis found no positive concordance between temporal trends from the 1970s to 1990s in childhood brain cancer rates and cured meat consumption, inasmuch as cancer rates rose over time while residual nitrite levels in cured meats fell sharply. Because of the potential for bias, especially recall bias, and/or confounding, the relatively weak magnitude of the associations reported, and the inconsistency between study findings, at this time it cannot be concluded that eating cured meat has increased the risk of childhood brain cancer or any other cancers. Moreover, although N-nitroso compounds are sometimes found in cured meats or may be formed endogenously, there is no empirical evidence that eating cured meats results in human neural nitrosourea exposure. Nevertheless, the hypothesis that eating nitrite-cured meats may influence childhood and perhaps adult brain cancer cannot be dismissed. Unbiased evaluation of the hypothesis may derive from the conduct of cohort studies, where the interview-derived information on cured meat intake precedes, or is not otherwise associated with, the diagnosis of cancer.

Fluorometric determination of N-nitroso-N-methylurea with nicotinamide and acetophenone

A fluorometric method for the determination of N-nitroso-N-methylurea (NMU) has been developed. It is based on the N-methylation reaction of nicotinamide with NMU and a subsequent condensation reaction with acetophenone, followed by an acid treatment to form a fluorescent 2,7-naphthyridine derivative. This method enabled the determination of NMU in the range 0.05 - 2 nmol/200 microl with a relative standard deviation of ca. 3%. It was applied to the determination of NMU formed from a precursor N-methylurea (MU) under simulated gastric conditions containing nitrite and thiocyanate ions at pH 3.0 in the presence of fresh orange juice and milk. NMU was extracted by an Extrelut 20 column and then determined. The mean recoveries of NMU added to the simulated gastric juice containing water, orange juice and milk were 86.5, 85.1 and 69.8%, respectively. The amounts of NMU formed from MU were found to decrease to below 25% in the presence of orange juice and milk.

Detection of methylating activity due to nitrosamide in some nitrosated Nigerian foodstuffs

Popular vegetables, condiments and some Nigerian staple foods were evaluated for their relative methylating potential due to nitrosamide formation following nitrosation under standardized conditions. Methylating activity of nitrosated foodstuffs, expressed as N-nitroso-N-methylurea equivalents, was determined by gas chromatography-thermal energy analysis. In positive samples (detection limit 10 microgram/kg) methylating activity detected was in the range of 50-1200 microgram/kg, the highest activity being found in Telfairia occidentalis (ugwu). This value constitutes the highest amount ever detected for a fresh vegetable. The data suggest that some commonly consumed local foodstuffs might contribute to overall human burden of environmental carcinogens in Nigeria.

Nitrosatable amines and nitrosamide formation in natural stimulants: Cola acuminata, C. nitida and Garcinia cola

Three varieties of kola nut, Cola acuminata, C. nitida and Garcinia cola, of Nigerian origin, were analysed for their content of primary and secondary amines, and assessed for their relative methylating potential due to nitrosamide formation. Primary and secondary amines were determined as benzene sulfonamides by gas chromatography/thermal energy analysis (GC/TEA). Dimethylamine, methylamine, ethylamine and isopentylamine were detected in all kola nut varieties, while pyrrolidine, piperidine and isobutylamine were detected in one or more varieties. Estimated average total daily intake of aliphatic amines by a typical kola nut chewer varied from 260 to 1040 micrograms/day for secondary amines and from 2430 to 9710 micrograms/day for primary amines. Methylating activity of the nitrosated kola nuts, expressed as N-nitroso-N-methylurea equivalents, was also determined by GC/TEA. Methylating activity was significantly higher in kola nuts (170-490 micrograms/kg) than has ever been reported for a fresh plant product. These data suggest that the possible role of kola nut chewing in human cancer aetiology should be explored in countries where kola nuts are widely consumed as stimulants.

Role of N-nitroso compounds (NOC) and N-nitrosation in etiology of gastric, esophageal, nasopharyngeal and bladder cancer and contribution to cancer of known exposures to NOC

The questions of whether and how N-nitroso compounds (NOC) may be inducing cancer in humans are discussed. The principal subjects covered include nitrite-derived alkylating agents that are not NOC, reasons for the wide tissue specificity of carcinogenesis by NOC, the acute toxicity of nitrosamines in humans, mechanisms of in vivo formation of NOC by chemical and bacterial nitrosation in the stomach and via nitric oxide (NO) formation during inflammation, studies on nitrite esters, use of the nitrosoproline test to follow human gastric nitrosation, correlations of nitrate in food and water with in vivo nitrosation and the inhibition of gastric nitrosation by vitamin C and polyphenols. Evidence that specific cancers are caused by NOC is reviewed for cancer of the stomach, esophagus, nasopharynx, urinary bladder in bilharzia and colon. I review the occurrence of nitrosamines in tobacco products, nitrite-cured meat (which might be linked with childhood leukemia and brain cancer) and other foods, and in drugs and industrial situations. Finally, I discuss clues from mutations in ras and p53 genes in human tumors about whether NOC are etiologic agents and draw some general conclusions.

Effects of acid suppression on microbial flora of upper gut

Decreased acid secretion, due to therapy or disease, predisposes to increased bacterial counts in gastric juice. As bacterial numbers increase, the number of nitrate-reducing strains and the concentration of luminal nitrite usually also increase. However, there is controversy (mainly because of assay problems) about whether decreased acid increases generation of N-nitroso compounds: these may be produced by acid or by bacterial catalysis, and the relative contributions of each are still uncertain. Other potentially important factors include ascorbate secretion (can prevent nitrite conversion to nitroso compounds) and the particular spectrum of nitroso compounds produced. Nitrosation of several histamine H2-receptor antagonists has been demonstrated experimentally, but under conditions that are very unlikely to be encountered clinically. Some acid suppressant therapies have been claimed to aid eradication of Helicobacter pylori, but more work is needed to evaluate this. If ulcer treatment regimens do not also address eradication of H. pylori (when present), gastritis will progress, and the recently documented association between H. pylori and gastric carcinoma needs to be considered. Enteric flora probably also increase if acid secretion is markedly reduced: this does not appear to have nutritional consequences but probably reduces the resistance to occasional infections, of which cholera is the best documented.

Precursors of N-nitroso compounds in some Nigerian medicinal plants

Twenty-seven tropical plants of medicinal importance were analysed for primary and secondary amines by chemiluminescence detection on a Thermal Energy Analyzer (TEA) modified for use on 'nitrogen mode' following derivatization with benzene sulphonyl chloride (BSC) and gas chromatographic (GC) separation of their sulphonamides. Nitrite was determined by colorimetry at 540 nm after diazotization with sulphanilamide and coupling with N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine to form an azo dye. Nitrate was determined as nitrite following on-line reduction by granulated cadmium. Dimethylamine in the range of 0.5 ppm to 18.2 ppm was detected in 96% of samples, while pyrrolidine ranged between 0.7 ppm and 12.78 ppm in 14 samples. Isobutylamine, methylamine and ethylamine were the most ubiquitous primary amines. Largest number of secondary amines (four) was found in Azadirachta indica (Neem) while largest number of primary amines (six) was detected in Azadirachta indica and Tamarindus indica (Tsamiya) which also contained the highest amount of total primary amines (148.8 ppm). Nitrate and nitrite were seldom found in plant extracts whose pH were generally below 7.0. These findings suggests that early exposures to precursors of N-nitroso compounds via medicinal plants might contribute to total risk posed by environmental carcinogens in Nigeria.

Processed meats and risk of childhood leukemia (California, USA)

The relation between the intake of certain food items thought to be precursors or inhibitors of N-nitroso compounds (NOC) and risk of leukemia was investigated in a case-control study among children from birth to age 10 years in Los Angeles County, California (United States). Cases were ascertained through a population-based tumor registry from 1980 to 1987. Controls were drawn from friends and by random-digit dialing. Interviews were obtained from 232 cases and 232 controls. Food items of principal interest were: breakfast meats (bacon, sausage, ham); luncheon meats (salami, pastrami, lunch meat, corned beef, bologna); hot dogs; oranges and orange juice; and grapefruit and grapefruit juice. We also asked about intake of apples and apple juice, regular and charcoal broiled meats, milk, coffee, and coke or cola drinks. Usual consumption frequencies were determined for both parents and the child. When the risks were adjusted for each other and other risk factors, the only persistent significant associations were for children's intake of hot dogs (odds ratio [OR] = 9.5, 95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 1.6-57.6 for 12 or more hot dogs per month, trend P = 0.01), and fathers' intake of hot dogs (OR = 11.0, CI = 1.2-98.7 for highest intake category, trend P = 0.01). There was no evidence that fruit intake provided protection. While these results are compatible with the experimental animal literature and the hypothesis that human NOC intake is associated with leukemia risk, given potential biases in the data, further study of this hypothesis with more focused and comprehensive epidemiologic studies is warranted.

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of N-nitroso-N-alkylureas by pre-column fluorescence derivatization and application to blood analysis

A method for the derivatization and separation of N-nitroso-N-alkylureas [alkyl = methyl (NMU), ethyl (NEU), and n-butyl (NBU)] has been developed. Fluorescent derivatives were formed with sodium sulphide, taurine and o-phthalaldehyde and separated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The limits of detection of standard NMU, NEU and NBU were 0.25, 0.8 and 1.5 pmol/200 microliters, respectively. The method was applied to the determination of NMU in blood after extraction with acetonitrile in the presence of calcium chloride. NBU was used as the internal standard. The recovery of NMU from blood was ca. 95%, and the limit of detection was 10 pmol/400 microliters blood. NMU levels in rabbit blood following a single oral administration were also measured.

Reactions of nitrate and nitrite in foods with special reference to the determination of N-nitroso compounds

The stabilities of nitrate and nitrite in food systems and their reactions in such matrices are reviewed. Particular reference is made to reactions with haem proteins, smoke components and amines in foods, and the chemistry of formation of N-nitroso compounds from food components is discussed. Finally, the methodology available for determination of both volatile and non-volatile N-nitroso compounds is addressed.

Review of the occurrence and formation of non-volatile N-nitroso compounds in foods

A review of the literature published prior to July 1991 covers the occurrence and formation of non-volatile N-nitrosamines occurring in foods and beverages. The presence of identified volatile and non-volatile N-nitrosamines accounts for less than 10% of the total apparent N-nitrosamine concentration. N-Nitrosoproline and N-nitrosothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid are the most commonly identified non-volatile N-nitrosamines in the diet. Non-volatile N-nitrosamines account for 12 of the 21 currently identified N-nitroso compounds in foods and beverages.