Effect of Menthol on Pharmacokinetic Profiles of Nicotine and Tobacco Specific Nitrosamines (TSNAs) in Rats

Principal Investigator: June Liu, Roxana Weil and Juan Crespo-Barreto

Funding Mechanism: Research Contract

ID number: HHSF223201510032I

Award Date: 9/30/2016

Institution: Lovelace

Animal studies using various routes of administration have been performed to investigate the pharmacokinetics of harmful and potentially harmful constituents (HPHCs); however, more information on the effects of menthol on the pharmacokinetics of HPHCs would be useful. The objectives of this study are to investigate the pharmacokinetics of nicotine and tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) in 60 Sprague Dawley rats exposed to cigarette smoke, and to evaluate the effects of menthol on those pharmacokinetic profiles. Nicotine and TSNAs will be measured in blood, urine and tissue collected from the respiratory tract. The analyses will involve thorough evaluation of the pharmacokinetics of nicotine and TSNAs in rats exposed to low or high doses of cigarette smoke in the presence or absence of menthol.