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Tobacco Science & Technology, 2007, 12, p. 38-41, ISSN.1002-0861.

Comparison of cytotoxicity of cigarette smoke of different tar deliveries

LU BIN-BIN; RYAN MENG; LYNNE WISSE; JIAO YAN-FU
Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC, Zhengzhou, Henan, China

The cytotoxicity of fresh smoke generated from 15, 8, 3 mg tar/cig. commercially available domestic blended type cigarettes and K2R4F reference cigarette was evaluated by neutral-red (NR) method and compared. Fresh cigarette smoke was diluted with clean air to achieve target total particular matter (TPM) concentration, and then directed to the BALB/c 3T3 cells containers. The cytotoxicity of TPM was tested by NRCA (neutral-red cytotoxicity assay). The relative death rates of cell and LC 50 under each exposure concentration were calculated against TPM. The results showed that the cigarettes in order of cytotoxicity were 15 mg tar/cig.>8 mg tar/cig. ≈K2R4F>3 mg tar/cig., which was in agreement with the reduction of free radicals, tobacco specific N-nitroamines, and poly aromatic hydrocarbons in the smoke of related cigarette samples. It suggested that the cytotoxicity and health risk of cigarette could be decreased by reducing the harmful components and tar in cigarette smoke.