An approach for the extract generation and toxicological assessment of tobacco-free 'modern' oral nicotine pouches

Introduction:
In this study, the authors present a method for generating extracts from modern oral nicotine pouches (MOPs) and Swedish snus products for in vitro testing. They compare the extracts of MOPs, Swedish snus, and cigarettes using an in vitro testing framework to evaluate their biological activity and genotoxicity. The study demonstrates that MOPs are significantly less biologically active than an equivalent reference Swedish-style snus product.

Key Points:

* The study developed a simple and reproducible method for generating extracts from MOPs and Swedish snus products for in vitro testing.
* The extracts were tested using an in vitro testing framework, which included cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, and genotoxicity assays.
* The authors found that MOPs were significantly less biologically active than an equivalent reference Swedish-style snus product.
* The study also evaluated the cytotoxic responses of oral (HGF) and lung-derived cell types (H292) and found that HGF were more sensitive than H292s to the test articles.
* The ToxTracker assay was used to assess the genotoxic potential of the three different product types, and the data showed that LYFT failed to elicit a response across any of the reporter assays tested.
* The study concludes that MOPs have lower biological activity and genotoxic potential than traditional tobacco products.

Main Message:
The study demonstrates that MOPs are significantly less biologically active than an equivalent reference Swedish-style snus product. The in vitro testing framework used in this study provides a reliable and efficient method for evaluating the biological activity and genotoxicity of MOPs. The results of the study suggest that MOPs could be a reduced-risk alternative to traditional tobacco products, and further studies are needed to substantiate the reduced risk potential of tobacco-free modern oral tobacco products.

Bishop, E., East, N., Bozhilov, A., Santopietro, S., Smart, D., M, T., S, M., A, B., D, B., D, T., & M, G. (2020). An approach for the extract generation and toxicological assessment of tobacco-free “modern” oral nicotine pouches. Food and Chemical Toxicology: An International Journal Published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association, 145, 111713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2020.111713