Reduced Toxicant Prototype Cigarettes Research Articles

Assessment of AcuteIn VitroHuman Cellular Responses to Smoke Extracts from a Reduced Toxicant Prototype Cigarette

Abstract Assessment of novel tobacco and nicotine products for their harm reduction potential compared with cigarettes is of significance for regulators and public health. The National Research Council's report, “Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century,” outlines recent advances in molecular biology and the utility of human in vitro systems in toxicity testing. Such approaches could enable efficient, ethical, and economical risk assessment of chemicals and chemical mixtures. We investigated the potential of a simple in vitro lung model to discriminate between a commercially available cigarette (CC) and a reduced toxicant prototype (RTP) cigarette, which yielded significantly reduced toxicant emissions compared with the CC. The investigation compared cytotoxicity, oxidative stress-related and proinflammatory endpoints, associated with smoking-related disease development. Furthermore, we assessed the discriminatory potential of the model upon exposure to a selection of test matrices, which captured different f...

Preliminary Evaluation of a New German Translated Tobacco Quality of Life Impact Tool to Discriminate Between Healthy Current and Former Smokers and to Explore the Effect of Switching Smokers to a Reduced Toxicant Prototype Cigarette

Background:Assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is well established in clinical research, but ceiling effects in validated tools might prevent detection of changes in well respondents. Tobacco Quality of Life Impact Tool (TQOLITv1) uses conceptual and psychometric advances to enhance detection of HRQoL changes.Methods:In a 6-month, forced-switch study, the German TQOLITv1 was assessed in healthy adult (age 23–55 years) current and matched former-smokers. At baseline, smokers were switched to reduced toxicant prototype (RTP) or conventional cigarette for 6 months. TQOLITv1 responses were collected at baseline, 3 and 6 months from current smokers whilst former smokers completed it at the latter two time points. TQOLITv1 includes SF-36v2 and new smoking-specific, physical and general-health measures.Results:Reliability at baseline was good (Cronbach’s coefficient alpha > 0.70) for all measures. The baseline percentage with the best possible score (ceiling effect) for former and current smokers was substantially better for the new physical function than SF-36 physical function measure (35% vs. 59% at ceiling, respectively). New smoking-specific measures discriminated current from former smokers better than general health measures. Smoking-specific symptoms (r = 0.73) were more stable from baseline to 6 months than other measures (r = 0.38–0.54) particularly more than the SF-36 mental component score (r = 0.24). Although both product smoking groups worsened in most HRQoL measures, changes in general and smoking-specific HRQoL impact measures favored RTP smokers.Conclusions:The German TQOLITv1 is sufficiently reliable and valid to assess HRQoL and may be more useful than SF-36v2 in evaluation of interventions in well smoking populations including those consuming RTPs.

The use of a quantifiable exposure method to assess the cytotoxic response of bronchial epithelial cells to whole smoke from a reduced toxicant prototype cigarette

The use of a quantifiable exposure method to assess the cytotoxic response of bronchial epithelial cells to whole smoke from a reduced toxicant prototype cigarette

Variability in biomarkers of exposure levels in smokers in a study of smokers switched to reduced toxicant prototype cigarettes

. Variability in biomarker of exposure levels in smokers in a study of smokers switched to reduced toxicant prototype cigarettes. Christopher J. Shepperd1, Alison Eldridge1, Graham Errington1, Oscar M Camacho1, Kevin McAdam1, Ingo Meyer2 and Christopher J. Proctor1* 1British American Tobacco, Group Research & Development, Regents Park Road, Southampton, SO15 8TL, United Kingdom 2Momentum Pharma Services, Hamburg, Germany *Correspondence: christopher_proctor@bat.com

Changes in levels of biomarkers of exposure observed in a controlled study of smokers switched from conventional to reduced toxicant prototype cigarettes

Reduced toxicant prototype (RTP) cigarettes with substantially reduced levels of tobacco smoke toxicants have been developed. Evaluation of these prototype cigarettes included measurement of biomarkers of exposure (BoE) to toxicants in smokers switched from conventional cigarettes to the RTPs. A 6-week single-blinded randomised controlled study with occasional clinical confinement was conducted (Trial registration: ISRCTN7215735). All smoking subjects smoked a conventional cigarette for 2-weeks. Control groups continued to smoke the conventional cigarette while test groups switched to one of three RTP designs. Clinical confinement and additional assessments were performed for all smoking groups after 2 and 4-weeks. A non-smoker group provided background levels of BoE. On average, smokers switched to RTPs with reduced machine yields of toxicants had reduced levels of corresponding BoEs. For vapour phase toxicants such as acrolein and 1,3-butadiene reductions of ⩾70% were observed both in smoke chemistry and BoEs. Reductions in particulate phase toxicants such as tobacco-specific nitrosamines, aromatic amines and polyaromatic hydrocarbons depended upon the technologies used, but were in some cases ⩾80% although some increases in other particulate phase toxicants were observed. However, reductions in BoEs demonstrate that it is possible to produce prototype cigarettes that reduce exposure to toxicants in short-term use.

Cigarette Smoke-induced Oxidative Stress in Lung Epithelial Cells: in vitro Biological Effects of Smoke from a Reduced Toxicant Prototype Cigarette

Cigarette Smoke-induced Oxidative Stress in Lung Epithelial Cells: in vitro Biological Effects of Smoke from a Reduced Toxicant Prototype Cigarette