The Carcinogenicity of Nitrosoanabasine, a Possible Constituent of Tobacco Smoke

THE fact that the carcinogenic activity of cigarette smoke cannot be explained in terms of its content of known carcinogens (Roe, Salaman, Cohen and Burgan, 1959) stimulated the search for other carcinogenic constituents.The high carcinogenic potency of certain nitrosamines has been shown by the work of Magee and Barnes (1956Barnes ( , 1962) ) and Druckrey, Preussmann, Schmahl and Muller (1961, 1962) and it seems possible on theoretical grounds that compounds of this type could be formed particularly in the more acid environment of cigarette, as opposed to cigar or pipe, smoke.Oxides of nitrogen are present in relatively high concentrations in the smoke (Haagen-Smit, Brunelle and Hara, 1959 and Bokoven and Niessen, 1961) and secondary amines particularly nornicotine and anabasine (Quin, 1959) are known to be constituents.Oxides of nitrogen could react with these precursors to form respectively nitrosonornicotine and nitroso- anabasine (see Fig. 1).Nitrosoanabasine is N-nitroso-2-(2'-pyridyl)piperidine and is thus a derivative of N-nitroso-piperidine, which Druckrey, Preussmann, Schmahl and Muller (1962) had shown to be carcinogenic.