# TOBACCO-SPECIFIC NITROSAMINE:  RIA FOR DNA-ADDUCTS

> **NIH NIH R01** · INSTITUTE FOR CANCER PREVENTION · 1988 · $82,756

## Abstract

According to the 1982 report of the Surgeon General smokers are 10 times
more likely to die from lung cancer than are non-smokers.  Epidemiological
studies have shown an increased risk of oral cancer in snuff-dippers.
There are an estimated 7,000,000 snuff-dippers in the United States with
the number growing rapidly.  In the last decade extensive studies in our
laboratory and others have demonstrated the presence of two carcinogenic
tobacco specific N-nitrosamines, N'-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) and
4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK).  NNN and NNK are
present in cigarette smoke at 0.11-3.7 Mug/cigarette.  Tobacco specific
nitrosamines are the only known carcinogens isolated in significant amounts
from snuff tobacco (210-33,000 ppb for NNN and NNK).  Animal studies have
shown NNN and NNK to be potent carcinogens and NNK to be a particularly
potent lung carcinogen.  NNN and NNK have also been shown to aklylate DNA.
In order to study further the relationship between exposure to NNN and NNK
and the development of tobacco related cancer, an assay for tobacco
specific DNA adducts is needed.  Since sensitive immunoassays for a number
of carcinogen DNA adducts have been developed, the specific aims of this
proposal are 1) develop monoclonal antibodies specific for NNN and NNK-DNA
adducts, 2) develop an immunoblotting assay (using these monoclonal
antibodies) able to detect low levels of DNA adducts in small samples of
human DNA, and 3) demonstrate the applicability of this assay by
determining the level of tobacco specific nitrosamine DNA adducts in DNA
isolated from the oral mucosa of snuff-dippers.  The long term goal of this
proposal is to develop methodology of sufficient sensitivity and simplicity
that it can be applied by clinical chemists to large numbers of tobacco
users.  This could allow detection of those individuals at increased risk
of developing tobacco related cancer.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3170349
- **Project number:** 5R01CA032391-06
- **Recipient organization:** INSTITUTE FOR CANCER PREVENTION
- **Principal Investigator:** PETER FOILES
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1988
- **Award amount:** $82,756
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1982-07-01 → 1988-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3170349

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3170349, TOBACCO-SPECIFIC NITROSAMINE:  RIA FOR DNA-ADDUCTS (5R01CA032391-06). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3170349. Licensed CC0.

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