Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-1220, USA.
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2012 May;21(5):761-9. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-11-0644. Epub 2012 Feb 21.
Recent federal legislation gives the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate the nicotine content of cigarettes. A nationwide strategy for progressive reduction of the nicotine content of cigarettes is a potential way to reduce the addictiveness of cigarettes, to prevent new smokers from becoming addicted, and to facilitate quitting in established smokers. We conducted a trial of progressive nicotine content tapering over 6 months to determine the effects on smoking behaviors and biomarkers of tobacco smoke exposure and cardiovascular effects.
One hundred and thirty-five healthy smokers were randomly assigned to one of two groups. A research group smoked their usual brand of cigarettes followed by five types of research cigarettes with progressively lower nicotine content, each smoked for one month. A control group smoked their own brand of cigarettes for the same period of time.
Nicotine intake, as indicated by plasma cotinine concentration, declined progressively as the nicotine content of cigarettes was reduced. Cigarette consumption and markers of exposure to carbon monoxide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as cardiovascular biomarkers remained stable, whereas urinary 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) excretion decreased. No significant changes in biomarkers of exposure or cardiovascular effects were observed in controls.
Our data support the proposition that the intake of nicotine from cigarettes of smokers can be substantially lowered without increasing exposure to other tobacco smoke toxins.
These findings support the feasibility and safety of gradual reduction of the nicotine content in cigarettes.
最近的联邦立法赋予了美国食品和药物管理局监管香烟尼古丁含量的权力。逐步降低香烟尼古丁含量的全国性策略是降低香烟成瘾性、防止新烟民成瘾和促进已有烟民戒烟的潜在方法。我们进行了一项为期 6 个月的逐步降低尼古丁含量的试验，以确定其对吸烟行为和烟草烟雾暴露及心血管影响的生物标志物的影响。
135 名健康吸烟者被随机分配到两组中的一组。研究组吸他们通常吸的品牌香烟，然后吸五种尼古丁含量逐渐降低的研究香烟，每种吸一个月。对照组在同一时期吸他们自己的品牌香烟。
尼古丁摄入量，如血浆可替宁浓度所示，随着香烟尼古丁含量的降低而逐渐下降。吸烟量和一氧化碳及多环芳烃暴露的标志物以及心血管生物标志物保持稳定，而尿液中的 4-（甲基亚硝氨基）-1-（3-吡啶基）-1-丁醇（NNAL）排泄量下降。对照组的暴露或心血管影响的生物标志物没有明显变化。
我们的数据支持这样的观点，即吸烟者从香烟中摄入的尼古丁可以在不增加其他烟草烟雾毒素暴露的情况下大幅降低。
这些发现支持逐步降低香烟尼古丁含量的可行性和安全性。
