Abstract
Druckrey1 and Sander2 suggested that N-nitroso compounds may be formed intragastrically by reaction of nitrites with secondary amines or alkylureas present in ingested foods and that these natural compounds may hence be significantly carcinogenic in man. Sugimura et al.3–5 found that the mutagen, N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)6,7 induced a high frequency of tumours in the glandular region of the rodent and dog stomach on oral application. MNNG is synthesized by nitrosation of N-methyl-N′-nitroguanidine (MNG) and the reaction occurs not only in strongly acidic conditions8 but also in human gastric juice (to be published). Therefore ‘spontaneous’ human gastric cancers may be at least partly caused by MNNG-like compounds formed after intragastric nitrosation of chemicals structurally related to MNG. We examined the mutagenicity of naturally occurring guanidines after treatment with nitrite in real and in simulated human gastric juice and found that methylguanidine, a compound present in several foods, is converted into a potent mutagen after nitrosation in gastric juice.
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ENDO, H., TAKAHASHI, K. Methylguanidine, a Naturally Occurring Compound showing Mutagenicity after Nitrosation in Gastric Juice. Nature 245, 325–326 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/245325a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/245325a0
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