Carcinogenic tryptophan pyrolysis products in the environment.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the risk of carcinogenic tryptophan pyrolysis products to human health. During the last decade, a new series of heterocyclic amines has been isolated as potent mutagens and later shown to be potent carcinogens in experimental animals. Among them, 3-amino-1, 4-dimethyl-5H-pyrido [4, 3-b]indole (Trp-P-1) and 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido [4, 3-b]indole (Trp-P-2), carcinogenic tryptophan pyrolysis products, have been investigated from various points of view and useful pieces of information about them have been collected. These carcinogens are widely distributed in the environment such as airborne particles, rain water, cigarette smoke and cooked foods, and they possess various pharmacotoxicological activities such as convulsant activities and potent inhibitory effects on platelet function and dopamine metabolism. Recent investigations revealed that these compounds are present in human samples such as plasma, urine and bile, indicating that humans are actually exposed to these compound. It is a matter of urgency to establish a suitable method for monitoring the exposure levels of these compounds to humans.