Mouse dermal study of smoke condensate from “Chemosol”-treated cigarettes

Abstract

Canadian and German patent documents describe “Chemosol” as citric acid and deuterium oxide in distilled water, and its chemical and biological effects. These documents refer to its reduction of benzo( a)pyrene content in tobacco smoke and reduced tumor incidence in mice following treatment with “Chemosol”-treated tobacco condensate. This study was designed to compare condensates from “Chemosol”-treated and untreated cigarettes. Nonfilter, 85 mm cigarettes were fabricated from a “Chemosol”-treated blend of flue-cured Burley, Oriental, and Maryland tobacco. Control cigarettes were made of the same blend. Nicotine determinations averaged 77.6 mg/g of “Chemosol”-treated smoke condensate and 76.6 mg/g of control condensate. The benzo( a)pyrene value was 0.75 ng/mg in “Chemosol”-treated condensate and 0.76 ng/mg in control condensate. Mice received three weekly dermal applications of 0.1 ml acetone, 20μg benzo( a)pyrene, and 25 mg of control or “Chemosol”-treated whole smoke condensate. One-hundred five of 200 control condensate mice developed 168 skin tumors (average of 1.6 per tumor-bearing animal), with a latent period of 434 days. Eighty-one tumors were diagnosed: 54 carcinomas, 23 papillomas, 2 adenomas, 1 fibrosarcoma, 1 mast cell sarcoma. Onehundred six of 200 “Chemosol”-treated condensate animals developed 165 tumors (average 1.5 per tumor-bearing animal), with a mean latent period of 372 days. Eighty-eight tumors were diagnosed: 58 carcinomas, 18 papillomas, 1 adenoma, 10 fibrosarcomas, 1 hemangiosarcoma. Chemical and biological parameters investigated were comparable for untreated and “Chemosol”-treated tobacco smoke condensates.