The Contribution of cocoa additive to cigarette smoking addiction

Page 190 of 207 RIVM report 650270002
Anandamide
dose in cigarettes (12.5 ng/25 cigarettes) compared with the animal TDlo, seems to
indicate that the anandamide level in cigarettes is insufficient to exert any acute
systemic toxicological effects. Because, no data are available on the inhalation
toxicological effect of anandamide, the local pulmonary toxicological effect is
unknown.
There are no data available on the chemical interaction of anandamide. The
anandamide level is affected either by inhibition of the anandamide degrading enzym
or by inhibition of the anandamide transport through the cell membrane.
The psychoactive cannabinoids have physical dependence properties, but there is
inconclusive evidence that endogenous cannabinoids such as anandamide, have
physical dependence properties. The anandamide level in cigarettes (12.5 ng/25
cigarettes) seems to be clearly insufficient to have any dependency properties,
compared with the anandamide dose used to investigate the dependency properties of
anandamide (10 – 100 mg/kg).
The anandamide level in cigarettes seems to be insufficient to exert any systemic
pharmacological and toxicological effects. Since no data are available on
pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic and toxicological effects of anandamide
exposure through inhalation, the shortterm and longterm effects of exposure to
anandamide through smoking on the respiratory system cannot be established.
More studies are needed on:
- the determination of anandamide level in cigarette smoke
- the determination of pyrolysis/combustion products of anandamide in cigarette
smoke
- the local (respiratory system) effects of long-term use of anandamide alone and its
pyrolysis/combustion products via inhalation.
Date this sheet was generated
Based on literature available in June 2002.
REFERENCES
(1) The Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS). The Registry
of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS), 1-1-2001. Electronic
version.
(2) Sigma Aldrich Website: http://www.sigmaaldrich.com, 2002.
(3) Devane WA, Hanus L, Breuer A, Pertwee RG, Stevenson LA, Griffin G,
Gibson D, Mandelbaum A, Etinger A, Mechoulam R. Isolation and structure of
a brain constituent that binds to the cannabinoid receptor. Science, 1992;
258(5090):1946-1949.
(4) Roemer E, Hackenberg U. Mouse skin bioassay of smoke condensates from
cigarettes containing different levels of cocoa. Food Addit Contam, 1990;