PMID: 7020546Jan 1, 1980Paper

Toxicologic and nutritional aspects of nitrates and nitrites

Annales de la nutrition et de l'alimentation
G de Saint-Blanquat

Abstract

The toxic action of nitrates and nitrites has often been summarized by methemoglobinemia and nitrosation of amines inducing carcinogenic effects; these two impacts are spectacular, but they hide varying more or less insidious actions recently studied and perceived. In the NO3/NO2 couple, it is accepted that especially nitrite ion lays down a toxicological problem, probably because of its particular chemical reactivity: nitrite ion, which is the base of nitrous acid HNO2 (pKa = 3.36) can react with many functional groups from dietary or endogenous origin; it is also a reducing agent, only oxidable by chemical oxidants or adequate enzyme systems; at the same time it is an oxidant for many reduced substrates. These different possibilities explain the chemical complexity of these compounds and almost their reactivity in biological various media with toxicological implications (modification of the redox state). In man, the presence of nitrates in the digestive tract may result in nitrite formation, because nitrate-reductase from bacterial or enterocyte origin; more particularly in stomach, nitrites are characterized by a great instability imputable to the low pH of gastric juice and to secreted factors which accelerate phenomena; at...Continue Reading

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