Pulmonary carcinogenesis and its prevention by dietary polyphenolic compounds

The aims of this study were to define the cumulative exposure of Canadian smokers to NNK and to characterize the efficacy of ellagic acid to inhibit lung tumorigenesis induced by NNK. The sales-weighted average of NNK deliveries from Canadian cigarettes was 73.2 ng/cigarette. NNK deliveries were highly correlated to declared tar values and were linear with puff volumes between 20 and 50 ml. Ellagic acid inhibited lung tumorigenesis induced by NNK in A/J mice. This inhibition was related to the logarithm of the dose of ellagic acid added to the diet. The biodistribution of ellagic acid was studied in mice gavaged with ellagic acid. Pulmonary levels of ellagic acid were directly proportional to the dose of ellagic acid between 0.2 and 2.0 mmol/kg b.w.