Nitrosation of nigerian medicinal plant preparations under ‘chemical’ and ‘simulated’ gastric conditions

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology Vol. 33; no. 1; pp. 43 - 48
• Main Authors: Atawodi, S.E., Lamorde, A.G., Spiegelhalder, B., Preussmann, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 1995; New York, NY Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; carcinogens; Chromatography, Gas; Drug toxicity and drugs side effects treatment; Gastric Juice - chemistry; Gastric Juice - metabolism; Humans; Medical sciences; medicinal plants; Miscellaneous (drug allergy, mutagens, teratogens...); Neoplasms - etiology; Nigeria; Nitrosamines - analysis; Nitrosation; nitroso compounds; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - metabolism; Plants, Medicinal - chemistry; stomach; vegetables; Nigeria; Africa; NDBA; NDPA; NMBzA; NDEA; NMOR; GC; NPIP; NDMA; NDiPA; NMEA; NPYR; Human; Carcinogen; Stomach; Etiology; Toxicity; Nitrosamine; Plant origin; Nitrosation; In vitro; Medicinal plant
• DOI: 10.1016/0278-6915(95)80247-9
• EISSN: 1873-6351
• ISSN: 0278-6915

Preparations of some tropical plants of medicinal importance, collected from the savannah vegetational belt of Nigeria, were nitrosated and analysed for volatile
N-nitrosamines formed under chemical and simulated gastric conditions.
N-Nitrosamines were determined on a Thermal Energy Analyser following gas chromatographic separation. Mean concentrations of
N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in the range of 7 to 58 ppb and
N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) in the range of 23 to 26 ppb were formed in 31 and 7%, respectively, of the preparations using artificial gastric juice (simulated gastric condition). Under chemically optimal conditions, relatively high levels of NDMA (72–2008 ppb), NDEA (23–1528 ppb) and
N-nitrosopyrrolidine (20–405 ppb) were formed in 100, 75 and 32% of the preparations, respectively;
N-nitrosomethylethylamine,
N-nitrosodibutylamine and
N-nitrosomorpholine were formed in fewer preparations. These findings suggest that the endogenous formation of
N-nitroso compounds from precursors present in medicinal plants might be another source of human exposure to environmental carcinogens in Nigeria and other developing countries.