A comprehensive evaluation of the toxicology of cigarette ingredients: carbohydrates and natural products

Abstract

Context: Eleven carbohydrates and natural product ingredients were added individually to experimental cigarettes.

Objective: A battery of tests was used to compare toxicity of mainstream smoke from these experimental cigarettes to matched control cigarettes without test ingredients.

Materials and Methods: Smoke fractions from each cigarette type were evaluated using analytical chemistry; in vitro cytotoxicity (neutral red uptake) and in vitro bacterial (Salmonella) mutagenicity (five strains) testing. For 10 ingredients (β-cyclodextrin, cleargum, D-sorbitol, high fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, maltodextrin, molasses, raisin juice concentrate, and sucrose), 90-day nose-only smoke inhalation studies using rats were also performed.

Results: In general, addition of each ingredient in experimental cigarettes resulted in minimal changes in smoke chemistry; the exceptions were D-sorbitol and sucrose, where reductions in amount of 60% to 80% of control values for some smoke constituents were noted. Additionally, each ingredient resulted in small increases in smoke formaldehyde concentrations. Except for a reduction in cytotoxicity by inclusion of maltodextrin and an increase by inclusion of plum juice concentrate, the cytotoxicity and mutagenicity results were unaffected by addition of the other ingredients in experimental cigarettes. There were also very few statistically significant differences within any of the 10 inhalation studies, and when present, the differences were largely sporadic and inconsistent between sexes.

Conclusion: The carbohydrates and natural products tested here as ingredients in experimental cigarettes as a class increased formaldehyde, but resulted in minimal toxicological responses, even at high inclusion levels compared with the levels used in commercial cigarette products.

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the study directors at the IIT Research Institute and at Philip Morris Research Laboratories, as well as, Edward L. Carmines, Mark A. Higuchi, Stephanie U. Knighten, Ranulfo Lemus, and Lisa M. Merriman. The authors also acknowledge the editorial assistance of Eileen Y. Ivasauskas of Accuwrit Inc. The authors thank Lonnie T. Rimmer for his work preparing the supplemental material.

Declaration of interest

Dr. C.R.E. Coggins is a consultant for Altria Client Services and as such was compensated for his contribution to this work.