About the Project
Rationale: Determinants of tobacco-related health disparities (TRHDs) are not clearly understood. The contribution of biological factors may be important. Current efforts to determine biological differences in tobacco use and related diseases among racial classified social groups (RCSGs) have primarily focused on genetic variations. However, this approach has limitations. An alternative framework of analysis to the genetic approach is a biopyschosocial one that examines the potential biological mechanisms through which life experiences and behavior might affect tobacco use and health outcomes in these population groups. The biological activities of several factors suggest their potential to affect the biological pathways involved in tobacco use and, thereby, modulate its effects. These factors include those of lifestyle (e.g., diet/nutrition, obesity, physical exercise, alcohol consumption), psychological (e.g., stress and coping), occupational/environmental exposures, and the presence of other diseases/illnesses.
Purpose: The goal of this project is to provide scientific evidence supporting a model of interactive effects of multiple factors on the biological pathways of tobacco-induced diseases. More specifically, the objective is to assess in vitro the potential for interactive effects of tobacco smoke and various lifestyle and environmental agents on DNA methylation status. DNA methylation is an important etiological pathway in tobacco-induced diseases. The central hypothesis is that tobacco smoke induces DNA methylation of genes known to be involved in the genesis of lung cancer and that lifestyle and environmental agents modulate the effect of tobacco smoke. We plan to test our hypothesis by:
- Determining the effect of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) on DNA methylation of several genes in lung cells; and
- Assessing the ability of other agents, including folate, genistein, selenium, ethanol, arsenic, and nickel, to modulate the effect of CSC on gene DNA methylation, either singularly or in various combinations.
Impact: Results from this study will provide important data for support of population-based studies to assess the contribution of interactive effects of lifestyle and environmental factors with tobacco use to differential tobacco-related health outcomes among RCSGs. A clearer understanding of the impact of psychosocial and environmental factors, which can act individually and interactively, on biological pathways involved in tobacco use and contribute to disparities in tobacco-related outcomes can provide an important contribution and foundation for developing appropriate interventions.
Research Team
George Hammons, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator)
Philander Smith College
Beverly Lyn-Cook, Ph.D.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Center for Toxicological Research
Anita Fernander, Ph.D.
University of Kentucky
Contact Us
Principal Investigator:
George Hammons, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Chemistry
Philander Smith College
hammonsgeorge@hotmail.com
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