Fractionation of cigarette smoke condensate for chemical and biological testing

Large-scale fractionation of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) was carried out by gel filtration and silicic acid column chromatography, and selected fractions and their subfractions were tested for tumorigenicity by mouse-skin bioassay. The weak-acid fraction was separated into four subfractions, the polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) fraction into two subfractions, and the polar neutral lipid fraction into three subfractions. Also, combinations of subfractions were examined for synergic effects and portions of all active material were subjected to chemical analyses by gel filtration, column, thinlayer and gas chromatography, and ultraviolet and mass spectrometry. A weak-acid subfraction (F-63) in which catechol was concentrated, and which comprized 3.27% CSC was shown to be tumorigenic, as were combinations of this sub fraction with the active PAH (F-67) sub fraction and a polar, neutral lipid (F-70) sub fraction, representing 0.01 and 0.05% CSC, respectively. The results indicated that catechol may be a potent cocarcinogen and that the PAH in CSC interact with other components to exert a tumorigenic effect.