GCMS Analysis of Chemical Stimulants and Carcinogens in Tobacco Leaves and Selected Tobacco Products

In spite of public awareness of high death rate of tobacco-related cancer worldwide, high prevalence and addiction to tobacco smoking in Nigeria as a major health risk, is due to poor and weak tobacco control law implementation. The presence of addictive nicotine alkaloid, and carcinogenic inorganic metals, and organic tobacco-specific nitrosamine and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are the toxic load that shows high positive correlation with various known cancer types. Identification, quantification and characterization of nicotine alkaloid, and carcinogenic PAHs, TSNA and heavy metals in seven brands of tobacco cigarettes (TS1-TS7) consumed in Nigeria and raw tobacco leaves (TS8) used as baseline were determined using GC-MS. Mass spectrum fragmentation ladder, base peaks, and diagnostic m/z ions rules were part of the rules used for structural deduction and validation where library hit percentage was below 50 confidence level. TS1 brand revealed 1.35% – 41.78% of tobacco wax, TS2 cigarette showed 1.93% – 31.23% concentration of TSNAs), a diverse profile of 1.22% – 25.11% was found in TS3, High levels of Fatty Acid Amides and Esters were recorded in TS4: 1.68% – 34.44%, TS5: 2.05% – 33.17%, TS6: 1.36% – 22.50%), TS7: 4.79% – 32.53%, and TS8 tobacco leaves showed remarkable high tobacco wax percentage range of 1.75% – 45.41%. TSNA (tobacco-specific nitrosamines) ranges from 7.40% (TS8) to 34.46% (TS4), with NNK-TMS derivatives also present (2.91-17.00%). Tobacco wax content varies significantly (9.29-41.07%), while phytosterol is prominent in TS7 (41.71%). Monoterpene derivatives, diterpenes, and fatty acid amides are also detected across samples. Carcinogenic PAHs are present in some samples (1.33-3.63%). While TSNA-NNK dominated TS1 to TS8. Spearman correlation matrix analysis of (r and p values) for the Qion analysis indicated TS5 and TS6 have the highest correlation among cigarette brands at 0.998, suggesting nearly identical manufacturing or environmental carcinogen signatures. The GC-MS structural deduced and validated chemical compounds showed TS4-TS5 with a (r = 0.914, p< 0.01), TS4-TS2 (r = 0.986, p < 0.01) and TS1-TS7 (r = 0.906, p < 0.01) across TS1 to TS8. TS2 brand has the highest toxin load, followed by TS3 (43%) and TS4 (41.68 %). While the PAH concentration was highest in TS6 and TS3 with 3.63% and 2.56% load respectively. Due to the high reactivity of carcinogen, a complex of NNK-TMS was detected eluting with tobacco waxes, phytosterol and tocopherol as well, as a perfect trap to mask carcinogen in all samples. The structural deduction rule revealed that the notable nicotine alkaloid in tobacco is the source of most NNK and related TSNA carcinogen in tobacco cigarettes which was also found along other alkaloid in TS8. The toxicological profile in all TS1-8 revealed heavy loads of toxins, trace PAHs, heavy waxes.