SMOKING COMPOSITION

Abstract: The invention concerns a smoking composition comprising nicotine in the form of an inclusion complex formed between a cyclo compound and nicotine.

Description: Smoking composition The present invention concerns a smoking composition with high nicotine content. j3a k£ro_und_of the nventi_oji Excessive smoking is now recognized as one of the major health problems throughout the world. The most advantageous thing a heavy smoker can do is, therefore, to reduce or pre¬ ferably even stop smoking completely. Experience shows, ho¬ wever, that most smokers find this extremely difficult. It is generally accepted that this difficulty results from the fact that heavy smokers are dependent on nicotine, which is considered to be one of the risk factors in tobacco smoke. The most important risk factors, however, are substances which are formed during the combustion of tobacco, such as carbon monoxide, tar products, aldehydes, and hydrocyanic acid. However, when trying to decrease tar and other harmful substances in the smoke by modifying the cigarette tobacco or using different filters it seems as if also the amount of nicotine is reduced. For the smoker it is, generally undesir¬ able to diminish the amount of nicotine as he tends to com- peπsate the lower amount of nicotine with more intense smoking and deeper puffs. In the end it is therefore often so that the smoker inhales the same amount of harmful compo¬ nents in spite of the fact that the cigarette is "cleaner". Therefore, if nicotine in a suitable form could be incorpo- rated in a tobacco product and if this nicotine was released by the heat from the glow and incorporated in the smoking particles this could perhaps supress the smoker's wish to increase the inhalation volumes. The consequence would then be that the amount of nicotine is unchanged while the amount of harmful substances is reduced. Summary _f_tjιe_iπveπtioπ_ The invention concerns a smoking composition wherein nicoti¬ ne in the form of an inclusion complex formed between a cyclo compound and nicotine is incorporated into a smoking material such as ordinary tobacco, a nicotine-free herbal material or low tar tobacco. The cyclo compound is prefe¬ rably a polysaccharide such as a α-, β- or γ-cyclodextrin. Cyclodextrins have previously been used in tobacco products. It is thus known from e.g. the US patent 3,047,431 to incor¬ porate flavoring materials in the form of inclusion complex¬ es into tobacco materials. Cyclodextrins have also been suggested as additive to cigarette filter materials for ab- sorptioπ of nicotine and tar (cf DE 2527234 and ~ P 51032799). The cyclodextriπ inclusion complexes can be prepared accord¬ ing to methods well known to a person skilled in the art. The most common procedures comprise stirring or shaking of an aqueous solution of the particular cyclodextrin with the nicotine. The reaction is preferably carried out in a common solvent like water. According to the invention the inclusion complex can be mix¬ ed with tobacco or a nicotine-free smoking material. Alter¬ natively the complex is placed in a defined volume option¬ ally in the form of plug in connection with a filter. It is also possible to have the inclusion complex in the form of a separate elongated tube along the inside of the cigarette paper or as a layer on the inside of the cigarette paper. The invention is further illustrated by the following examples: Exampl e 1 Prepartion of i ncl usion compl ex of g-CD and ni cotine (β-CD-N) . 100 g water were heated to 75°C.28 g of β-CD were added and dissolved while stirring the solution.3.5 ml of nicotine were added. The mixture was stirred for about 4 h at ambient temperature. The obtained mixture was filtered and dried in a drying oven at 35°C. Example 2 A conventional pipe was provided with herbal material obtaiπ- ed from Honeyrose de Luxe Herbal Cigarettes. This material is guaranteed nicotine-free according to the information on the cigarette package and was used in the present experiment in order to see if nicotine from the inclusion complex was actually released. If ordinary tobacco had been used it would have been difficult to estimate the amount of nicotine from the tobacco and the amount of nicotine from the inclu¬ sion complex. To the herbal material was added 50 mg of nicotine-β-cyclodextrin (equivalent to 60 x 0,115 = 6,9 mg of nicotine) and additional nicotine-free herbal material was packed on the complex. About 0,35 g of herbal material was used in each experiment. No inclusion complex was added in the control experiments. The pipe was lit and air was drawn through the herbal mate- rial by using a gastight syringe. The whole amount of the herbal material including the inclusion complex was smoked in puffs of 50 ml by using the syringe. 15-18 puffs were drawn before the material was completely used up. The smoke was conveyed through an aqueous solution of 10 ml of 0.05 M H 2 S0 4 wherein the nicotine was trapped. The solu¬ tion was analyzed with respect to nicotine and the following results were obtained: Ex£. Sample Released i C£tine/mg_ 1 herbal material + β-CD-N 0,68 2 " + " 0,76 3 " " 0,08* 4 ■ " 0,05* * resuidal nicotine from earlier experiments carried out in the equipment The experiments 1 and 2 indicate that nicotine is released from the inclusion complex and is actually bound to the smo¬ king particles when these are formed. If this had not been the case the nicotine had never reached the smoker but had condensed and been absorbed on the way through the pipe. In the experiments 3 and 4 small amounts of nicotine were found. Most likely these amounts originates from earlier ex¬ periments involving nicotine carried out in the equipment.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Smoking composition comprising nicotine in the form of an inclusion complex formed between a cyclo compound and nico¬ tine and a smoking material, which composition releases nico¬ tine when it is subjected to elevated temperatures. 2. Composition according to claim 1 wherein the cyclo compound is a cyclisized polysaccaride, preferably a cyclodextrin. 3. Composition according to claim 2 wherein the cyclodextrin is 8-cyclodextrin. 4. Composition according to any of the preceding claims wherein the smoking material is low tar tobacco. 5. A method of imparting nicotine to a smoking material comprising forming an inclusion complex between a cyclodextrin compound and nicotine and thereafter combining said smoking material with said inclusion complex whereby the nicotine is rendered stable within said smoking material until such time as the material is subjected to elevated temperatures.

Inventors: ANDERSSON SVEN BOERJE, ANDERSSON, SVEN, BOERJE
Applicants: KABI PHARMACIA AB
Application year: 1991
Main classification: A24B15
IPC codes: A24B13, A24B15