A review of the analysis of tobacco-specific nitrosamines in biological matrices

Abstract

Tobacco use constitutes a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) are an important class of biomarkers for tobacco carcinogen uptake. The current review focuses on the issues and developments in analysis of these compounds in human biological matrices. The two most widely used techniques for TSNA bioanalysis are gas chromatography coupled with thermal energy analysis and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, employing various sample preparation techniques. The review provides an overview of the tools and techniques currently available for TSNA bioanalysis that will help towards the ultimate goal of understanding the mechanisms of cancer caused by the use of tobacco products. A contrast and comparison of the important aspects of bioanalysis such as sample preparation, compound detection, and throughput is discussed for the thermal energy analysis– and mass spectrometry–based techniques. Complex sample extraction procedures, throughput, and the ability to validate are important issues of concern for the gas chromatography–thermal energy analysis–based methods. On the other hand, addressing ion suppression matrix effects remains an important challenge for hyphenated mass spectrometry–based methods. The review also provides an extensive summary of analytical procedures for various studies measuring tobacco-specific nitrosamines in different biological matrices.

Keywords::

• Bioanalysis
• GC-TEA
• LC/MS/MS
• sample preparation
• tobacco-specific nitrosamines analysis

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Bioanalytical Core Laboratory Service Center and the School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutics, at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical College of Virginia Campus for providing clerical support in the preparation of the manuscript.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.