Real-Time Measurement and Uptake of Carcinogens by Menthol Cigarette Smokers

描述（由申请人提供）：薄荷醇是唯一一种由制造商积极销售的香烟添加剂，特别受到年轻人和少数民族/种族的青睐。越来越多的证据表明，薄荷香烟是青少年的入门产品，阻碍戒烟，增加戒烟后的复发，并通过不断有针对性地向有色人种社区推销这些产品而破坏社会正义。将薄荷香烟的使用与烟草相关疾病的风险增加联系起来一直很困难。一般来说，用于试图建立这种联系的流行病学研究一直没有定论，而基于实验室的研究则受到阻碍，因为无法让已确定的薄荷醇和非薄荷醇吸烟者在较长时间内使用相反的香烟类型，以比较经典的毒性测量方法，所获得的结果是混合的。造成这种情况的一个主要原因可能是在这些测试中使用的商业香烟。因为香烟是经过精心设计的，除了薄荷含量之外，薄荷香烟和非薄荷香烟之间可能有很多不同。研究人员之前的工作已经在薄荷香烟和非薄荷香烟中发现了一些有趣的差异，但尚不清楚这些差异是薄荷单独作用的结果，还是商业香烟特性上的许多其他可能的差异。为了充分研究薄荷化对香烟的影响，我们需要测试只在薄荷含量上有所不同的香烟。这项研究的具体目的是确定吸烟的急性影响，除了薄荷醇的水平是相同的。总体目标是建立有效的检测方法，而不需要长时间的暴露和遵守长时间的协议。因此，我们将描述一组除了薄荷含量不同之外相同的香烟。这种香烟是一种商用的不含薄荷醇的香烟，在低水平和高水平上都有薄荷醇，而Camel Crush是一种不含薄荷醇的香烟，在过滤器里有一个小的薄荷醇颗粒，当粉碎时，薄荷醇会释放到过滤器里。在对香烟进行化学表征之后，将在受试者内部设计中进行实时人体毒性测量，以评估人体暴露于某些与烟雾有关的毒素/致癌物质的情况。最后，为了产生受试者特定的烟雾排放并估计与烟雾有关的毒素/致癌物的吸收，将对吸烟机器进行编程，使其吸烟测试香烟，并对每种测试香烟的烟雾排放进行比较。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Menthol, the only cigarette additive that is actively marketed by manufacturers, is particularly favored by youth and ethnic/racial minorities. There is growing evidence that menthol cigarettes are starter products for youth, impede cessation, increase relapse following cessation and undermine social justice by the incessant targeted marketing of these products to communities of color. Tying menthol cigarette use to increased risk of tobacco-related diseases has been difficult. Generally, epidemiologic studies that have been used to try to make that connection have been inconclusive, whereas laboratory-based studies have been hampered by the inability to get established menthol or non-menthol smokers to use the opposite cigarette style for the extended periods necessary to compare classic measures of toxicity, and results obtained have been mixed. A major reason for this may lie with the commercial cigarettes that were used in these tests. Because cigarettes are so highly engineered, there are likely many differences between menthol and non-menthol cigarettes other than menthol levels. The investigators' previous work has resulted in some intriguing contrasts in menthol and non-menthol cigarettes, but it cannot be known if the differences were the result of the effects of mentholation alone, or the many other possible differences in the properties of commercial cigarettes. To adequately study the effect of mentholation of cigarettes, we need to test cigarettes that differ only in menthol content. The specific aims of this research are to determine the acute effects of smoking cigarettes that are equivalent except for levels of menthol. The over-all goal is to establish methods for testing which are valid without requiring prolonged periods of exposure and compliance with long-duration protocols. We will therefore characterize a set of cigarettes that are the same except for variation in menthol levels. The cigarettes are a commercial non-menthol cigarette that is mentholated at a low level and a high level, and Camel Crush, a non-menthol cigarette with a small menthol pellet in the filter which, when crushed, releases menthol into the filter. Chemical characterization of the cigarettes will be followed by real-time human toxicity measurements in a within-subjects design, to assess human exposure to select smoke-related toxins/carcinogens. Finally, to generate subject-specific smoke emissions and estimate uptake of smoke- related toxins/carcinogens, a smoking machine will be programmed to smoke the test cigarettes, and smoke emissions of each of the test cigarettes will be compared.