Levels of the Thiocyanate in the Saliva of Tobacco Smokers in Comparison to e-Cigarette Smokers and Nonsmokers Measured by HPLC on a Phosphatidylcholine Column

Abstract

The aim of the study was to estimate the thiocyanate levels in saliva of cigarette smokers in comparison to e-cigarette smokers and nonsmokers. To improve our understanding of the influence of smoking on the oral level of thiocyanate, we conducted an assessment of human saliva, in 24 individuals (eight tobacco smokers, eight e-cigarette smokers, and eight nonsmokers). High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) using a unique phosphatidylcholine column was applied in this assay. Thiocyanate ion was detected directly by its absorbance at 210 nm. The method presents a new application of the IAM (Immobilized Artificial Membrane) column for quantification of inorganic anions. The whole process meets the criteria of green chemistry because it was carried out without the use of organic solvents. For compensating matrix effects, an eight-point standard addition protocol was used to quantify the thiocyanate level in saliva samples. The calibration graphs were linear in the range of 5–100 mg L−1 with a correlation coefficient higher than 0.99. The thiocyanate concentrations in the saliva of tobacco smokers, e-cigarette smokers, and nonsmokers were found in the range of 121.25–187.54 mg L−1, 121.24–244.11 mg L−1, 33.03–79.49 mg L−1, respectively. The present study indicates an obvious statistically significant elevation in salivary thiocyanate level in tobacco smokers in comparison to nonsmokers. The phosphatidylcholine-based stationary phase proved to be suitable for the detection and quantification of the thiocyanate ion. The salivary thiocyanate levels in e-cigarette smokers were not significantly different in comparison to tobacco smokers but higher if compared to nonsmokers. The criterion for statistical significance was p < 0.05.

Intake and Uptake of Chemicals Upon Use of Various Tobacco/Nicotine Products: Can Users be Differentiated by Single or Combinations of Biomarkers?

“…A possible suitability check can be done by testing the conformity of recently published data, which have not been used for calculating the intake and uptake for chemicals in the 6 consumer groups (mainly because they were not yet available when the relative exposure level system was developed). In total, 17 studies on either one or several of the consumer groups of interest were tested for conformity, 9 studies on the release of chemicals from tobacco/nicotine products (86,(129)(130)(131)(132)(133)(134)(135)(136) and 8 studies on biomarker levels (137)(138)(139)(140)(141)(142)(143)(144). For testing the exposure levels for daily intake, 140 comparisons could be performed, comprising tests for 21 different chemicals and 3 products (26 tests with CCs, 12 with HNB products and 114 with ECs).…”

From Tobacco Cigarettes to Electronic Cigarettes: The Two Sides of a Nicotine Coin

“…Emerging data indicate that e-cig use may adversely affect the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems [24,[35][36][37][38][39]. Also, limited evidence exists on the potential of e-cigs to cause carcinogenic effects [32,33,[40][41][42][43][44][45]. To date, clinical studies have primarily investigated the acute effects of vaping [24,34].…”

Advances in PSMA theranostics

“…These enzymes catalyze the oxidation of halides and [SCN] − to their respective hypohalous acids (e.g., hypochlorous acid and hypothiocyanous acid) as a part of the oral antimicrobial defense [249] , [250] , [251] . [SCN] − is remarkably concentrated in saliva relative to serum (1 mM vs. 34 μM [252 , 253] , and reaching 2.6 mM in smokers [253] ). NO 3 − is similarly concentrated by the salivary glands from serum for secretion as a salivary anion.…”