Preface
Nitrosamines and Related N-Nitroso Compounds Downloaded from pubs.acs.org by 79.110.17.79 on 09/06/18. For personal use only.
TVNTTROSO C O M P O U N D S M A Y H A V E A S I G N I F I C A N T R O L E in human
carcinogenesis. The ubiquity of their precursors leads to the ready formation of nitrosamines and other iV-nitroso compounds in the human microand macroenvironment. Therefore, there is a continuing need to understand the extent and mechanisms of N-nitroso compound formation, as well as to understand the mechanisms of their bioactivation and detoxification. Recent discoveries have demonstrated several pathways for the endogenous formation of AT-nitroso compounds. Ingested or endogenous nitrogenous substrates can react with nitrous acid in the stomach or be nitrosated either there or elsewhere by nitrosating agents arising from the endogenous formation of N O or the bacterial reduction of nitrate. This volume focuses on the chemistry and biochemistry of N-nitroso compounds. It ranges from topics covering fundamental chemical mechanistic and analytical studies, biochemical models, and D N A adduct formation, to the use of molecular biological methods and other techniques to investigate biological effects of N-nitroso compounds. The symposium from which this volume grew was intended to refocus attention on the chemical and biochemical research of iV-nitroso compounds, rather than the epidemiological efforts that have been stressed in many international meetings in recent years. This volume presents aspects of the most important current work on Af-nitroso compounds. In addition to the research papers presented in the first 22 chapters, we have included 23 brief summaries of other current research. The authors are the major investigators in the field. This book is important to those chemists who actively work to reduce human exposure to carcinogenic agents and to those many chemists who seek through their work to achieve a better understanding of the mechanisms of the carcinogenic process. The book will also be meaningful to those who want to enhance their knowledge of the chemistry and biochemistry of JV-nitroso compounds. Acknowledgments We are grateful to the American Chemical Society Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, which provided financial support for this symposium. The cooperation and suggestions of Richard A . Scanlan of Oregon State University are especially appreciated. We also appreciate the xi
technical assistance of A C S editors Rhonda Bitterli and Barbara Tansill. We are particularly indebted to Christina A . Wells, who served most cooperatively between appointments, as our technical editor. Her organizational talents, high standards, and excellent editorial skills have improved this volume significantly. RICHARD N. LOEPPKY Department of Chemistry University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65211 CHRISTOPHER J. MICHEJDA ABL-Basic Research Program Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center National Cancer Institute P.O. Box B Frederick, MD 21702 Received November 15, 1993
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