Simultaneous determination of areca nut- and tobacco-specific alkaloids in saliva by LC-MS/MS: Distribution and transformation of alkaloids in oral cavity

In Vitro Antioxidant Activity of Areca Nut Polyphenol Extracts on RAW264.7 Cells

“…Moreover, the areca nut has been used in traditional Chinese medicine in China and Ayurvedic medicine in India, since the areca nut can remove parasites from the body and disperse effusions in the abdominal cavity [ 2 , 3 ]. On the other hand, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified areca nut as a Class I carcinogen in 2003 because it contains a large number of alkaloids, such as arecoline, arecaidine, and guvacine, and these arecolines are carcinogenic [ 4 , 5 ]. The safety of areca nuts has become a hotly debated topic [ 6 ].…”

Genetic and epigenetic instability induced by betel quid associated chemicals

“…These conditions facilitate the penetration of small molecules into exposed oral mucosal cells and hence promote the development of oral cancer [16] . Oral mucosa cells, probably exposed in oral cavity of BQ-chewers, can metabolize the areca-specific alkaloids including arecoline, a possible carcinogen to humans [24] , [25] , [26] . Therefore, oral pre-malignant disorders such as leukoplakia, erythroplakia, OSF are the early manifestations of oral cancer [6] .…”

“…Furthermore, addition of slaked lime as an alkaline agent to BQ serves two purposes: Firstly, it moderates the astringency arising from tannins of areca nut, and secondly, it facilitates the availability of ‘un-ionized’ alkaloids leading to the rapid absorption of arecoline in the oral mucosa [6] , [25] . However, at high concentration levels, tannins and polyphenols also elicit pro-oxidant effect under alkaline conditions (pH ≥ 9.5) due to the addition of slaked lime and in presence of redox-active transition metals such as Fe 2+ , Cu 2+ [27] .…”

“…Under alkaline conditions ( vide supra ), the oral mucosal cells efficiently hydrolyse arecoline to yield arecaidine, while guvacoline is hydrolysed to yield guvacine. In addition, trace levels of N-methylnipecotic acid (NMPA), a nitrosylated metabolite of arecaidine is also detected in the BQ chewer’s saliva [25] . Arecoline is further metabolized to arecoline-N-oxide, and subsequently glutathionylated, as a part of detoxification pathway, to the corresponding mercapturic acid [28] .…”

An Account of Areca Nut Uses and Oral Health Damages from An Indian Perspective

“…TGF-β and a variety of other pro-inflammatory and profibrotic cytokines are secreted by macrophages and other immune cells recruited by damages created by inflammation. Further ROS-mediated activation and formation of nitroso-amines lead to the induction of various pathways that leads to secretions of numerous cytokines and growth factors [9]. Collagen formation by induction of procollagen genes, defective collagen clearance by inhibition of collagenases and metalloproteinases, and stabilization of collagen fibrils by cross-linkages formed by enzymatic activation of cross-linking enzymes are the processes involved with fibrotic changes in the submucosa [86].…”