The Contribution of cocoa additive to cigarette smoking addiction

Page 62 of 207 RIVM report 650270002
Serotonin
elevated plasma serotonin level; it evokes several vascular pathologies e.g. in the
diabetic population. It is also involved in several CNS effects. There are no data
available on the carcinogenicity effect of serotonin. Serotonin displays some
reproduction toxicity effects through its neuroendocrine effect.
Serotonin can form radicals by oxidation. Several compounds affect the metabolic
pathway of serotonin. Several agents interact with the large serotonin receptor family
and affect thereby the local or systemic serotonin level and cause typical serotonin
clinical effects. No data were available on respiratory interaction effects via
inhalation.
The serotoninergic system in the brain is affected by tobacco smoking and this system
plays a role in the tobacco dependency and smoking cessation. From literature on
chocolate craving, it seems that exogenous serotonin does not contribute to chocolate
craving quality.
It can be concluded that serotonin exerts various pharmacological and toxicological
effects in the body through the large serotonin receptor family. There are no data
available on the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and toxicology of exogenous
serotonin after oral and inhalation exposure. Assuming similar systemic effects after
oral and inhalation exposure, the additional risk for systemic effects of serotonin by
cigarette smoking (estimated to be 15 µg/day) will be low compared with the oral
intake via chocolate, cocoa drinks and banana (estimated 19 – 15000 µg/day). Due to
its negligible effect on the bronchi in normal human subjects, it is unlikely that the
cigarette serotonin dose will exert any bronchoconstrictory effect. Considering the
large endogenous serotonin pool (estimated 10 mg), it seems unlikely that the low
serotonin dose from cigarette smoke (estimated 15 µg/day) will affect the serotonin
level in the body. Since no data on the local toxicological effects of serotonin
exposure through inhalation are available, the shortterm and longterm effects of
exposure to serotonin through smoking on the respiratory system cannot be
established. Furthermore, its additive effects on other biogenic amines present in
cigarette smoke are also not known and have to be studied.
More studies are needed on:
- the determination of pyrolysis and combustion products of serotonin in cigarette
smoke;
- the local (respiratory system) effects of long-term use of serotonin alone and in
combination with other biogenic amines via inhalation.
Date this sheet was generated
Based on literature available in July 2001.
REFERENCES
(1) Chemfinder website: http://chemfinder.cambridgesoft.com/ chemfinder .
2001.