Researchers say cysteine chewing gum could prevent oral cancers

It has been estimated that, in developed countries, up to 80 % of the cancers of the mouth, pharynx and oesophagus are caused by smoking and alcohol drinking. According to the Finnish researchers, these epidemiological findings can at least in part be explained by the fact that alcohol drinking and smoking result in a strong local exposure of the upper digestive tract to acetaldehyde, and they have proved that acetaldehyde exposure can be markedly prevented by a tablet that releases amino acid, l-cysteine.

It has been known for decades that a harmless aminoacid l-cysteine is able to bind effectively acetaldehyde and thereby eliminate its toxicity. On this basis, University of Helsinki researchers Professor Mikko Salaspuro and Professor Martti Marvola started to develop l-cysteine-containing and acetaldehyde-eliminating preparations that eventually could be used for the prevention of digestive tract cancers.

The first two preparations were slowly l-cysteine releasing tablets that effectively eliminated acetaldehyde derived to the mouth and saliva either after a challenge of alcohol or during smoking.

The methods developed by the research groups of the two professors have been patented worldwide. The owner of the patents is now Finnish company Biohit Oyj and the first commercial product based on this patented method is l-cysteine-containing chewing gum, which was launched on the market in mid-May.

“We know that with this chewing gum it is possible to eliminate acetaldehyde totally from the saliva during smoking. We do hope that this will in the future turn out to be a novel method for the prevention of alcohol and tobacco smoking associated oral cancers,” Professor Salaspuro remarked. “However, long-term randomized controlled trials are naturally needed before the possible cancer preventive effects can be proved. We are currently planning that type of studies.”