Method of reducing the harmful effects of orally or transdermally delivered nicotine

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to the reduction of the harmful effects of orally or transdermally delivered nicotine in conventional tobacco-use cessation programs. More specifically, embodiments concern methods of reducing the harmful effects of nicotine intake, associated with conventional tobacco-use cessation programs, by providing tobacco products, which contain a reduced amount of nicotine and/or tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNAs).

1 . A tobacco use cessation kit comprising: 
 a first tobacco product that comprises nicotine and delivers a collective content of N′-nitrosonornicotine (NNN), N′-nitrosoanatabine (NAT), N′-nitrosoanabasine (NAB), 4-(N-nitrosomethylamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) of less than 5.0 μg/g; and    a second tobacco product that comprises an amount of nicotine that is less than the first tobacco product and delivers a collective content of N′-nitrosonornicotine (NNN), N′-nitrosoanatabine (NAT), N′-nitrosoanabasine (NAB), 4-(N-nitrosomethylamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) of less than 5.0 μg/g, wherein said first tobacco product and said second tobacco product are cigarettes.    
     
     
         2 . The tobacco use cessation kit of  claim 1 , further comprising a third tobacco product that comprises an amount of nicotine that is less than the amount of nicotine in said second tobacco product and delivers a collective content of N′-nitrosonornicotine (NNN), N′-nitrosoanatabine (NAT), N′-nitrosoanabasine (NAB), 4-(N-nitrosomethylamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) of less than 5.0 μg/g, wherein said first tobacco product, said second tobacco product, and said third tobacco product are cigarettes.  
     
     
         3 . The tobacco use cessation kit of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said tobacco products comprise a tobacco that comprises a genetic modification.  
     
     
         4 . The tobacco use cessation kit of  claim 2 , wherein at least one of said tobacco products comprise a tobacco that comprises a genetic modification.  
     
     
         5 . The tobacco use cessation kit of  claim 3 , wherein said genetic modification comprises an exogenous fragment of a gene involved in nicotine biosynthesis at least 25 consecutive nucleotides in length.  
     
     
         6 . The tobacco use cessation kit of  claim 3 , wherein said genetic modification comprises an exogenous fragment of a gene involved in nicotine biosynthesis at least 50 consecutive nucleotides in length.  
     
     
         7 . The tobacco use cessation kit of  claim 3 , wherein said genetic modification comprises an exogenous fragment of a gene involved in nicotine biosynthesis at least 100 consecutive nucleotides in length.  
     
     
         8 . The tobacco use cessation kit of  claim 3 , wherein said genetic modification comprises an exogenous fragment of a gene involved in nicotine biosynthesis at least 200 consecutive nucleotides in length.  
     
     
         9 . The tobacco use cessation kit of  claim 4 , wherein said genetic modification comprises an exogenous fragment of a gene involved in nicotine biosynthesis at least 25 consecutive nucleotides in length.  
     
     
         10 . The tobacco use cessation kit of  claim 4 , wherein said genetic modification comprises an exogenous fragment of a gene involved in nicotine biosynthesis at least 50 consecutive nucleotides in length.  
     
     
         11 . The tobacco use cessation kit of  claim 4 , wherein said genetic modification comprises an exogenous fragment of a gene involved in nicotine biosynthesis at least 100 consecutive nucleotides in length.  
     
     
         12 . The tobacco use cessation kit of  claim 4 , wherein said genetic modification comprises an exogenous fragment of a gene involved in nicotine biosynthesis at least 200 consecutive nucleotides in length.  
     
     
         13 . The tobacco use cessation kit of  claim 5 , wherein said gene involved in nicotine biosynthesis is A622, QPTase, or PMTase.  
     
     
         14 . The tobacco use cessation kit of  claim 6 , wherein said gene involved in nicotine biosynthesis is A622, QPTase, or PMTase.  
     
     
         15 . The tobacco use cessation kit of  claim 7 , wherein said gene involved in nicotine biosynthesis is A622, QPTase, or PMTase.  
     
     
         16 . The tobacco use cessation kit of  claim 8 , wherein said gene involved in nicotine biosynthesis is A622, QPTase, or PMTase.  
     
     
         17 . A method of reducing the nicotine consumption of a tobacco user comprising: 
 identifying a tobacco user for a reduction in nicotine consumption; and    providing said tobacco user with a tobacco-use cessation kit of  claim 1  or  claim 2 .    
     
     
         18 . A method of reducing the nicotine consumption of a tobacco user comprising: 
 identifying a tobacco user for a reduction in nicotine consumption;    providing said tobacco user a first tobacco product that comprises nicotine; and    providing said tobacco user a second tobacco product that comprises an amount of nicotine that is less than the amount of nicotine in said first tobacco product, wherein said first and said second tobacco products are the same form of tobacco product.    
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising providing said tobacco user a third tobacco product that comprises an amount of nicotine that is less than the amount of nicotine in said second tobacco product and, wherein said third tobacco product is the same form as said first tobacco product and said second tobacco product and said first tobacco product.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said first tobacco product or said second tobacco product or both comprise genetically modified tobacco.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18  wherein said genetically modified tobacco comprises an exogenous fragment of a gene involved in nicotine biosynthesis at least 25 consecutive nucleotides in length.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said genetically modified tobacco comprises an exogenous fragment of a gene involved in nicotine biosynthesis at least 50 consecutive nucleotides in length.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said genetically modified tobacco comprises an exogenous fragment of a gene involved in nicotine biosynthesis at least 100 consecutive nucleotides in length.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said genetically modified tobacco comprises an exogenous fragment of a gene involved in nicotine biosynthesis at least 200 consecutive nucleotides in length.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said exogenous fragment of a gene involved in nicotine biosynthesis is selected from the group consisting of A622, putrescine N-methyltransferase, N-methylputrescine oxidase, ornithine decarboxylase, S-adenosylmethionine synthetase, NADH dehydrogenase, phosphoribosylanthranilate isomerase, and quinolate phosphoriosyl transferase.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said first tobacco product comprises less than 0.7 mg/g nicotine and said second tobacco product comprises less than 0.4 mg/g nicotine.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said first tobacco product delivers less than 0.7 mg/g nicotine and said second tobacco product delivers less than 0.4 mg/g nicotine, and said third tobacco product delivers less than 0.05 mg/g nicotine.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said tobacco products comprise about the same amount of tar.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said tobacco products comprise about the same amount of tar.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said tobacco products comprise about the same amount of tar.  
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said tobacco products comprise about the same amount of tar.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said tobacco products comprises treated tobacco.  
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein at least one of said tobacco products comprises treated tobacco.  
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said tobacco products comprises selectively bred low nicotine tobacco.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein at least one of said tobacco products comprises selectively bred low nicotine tobacco.  
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said tobacco products comprises genetically modified tobacco.  
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein at least one of said tobacco products comprises genetically modified tobacco.