Effect of Antioxidant Compounds on Nitrites as Inhibitors of N-Nitrosamine Formation: A Short Review

Abstract

N-nitrosamines are carcinogenic compounds that are very easy to find. N-nitrosamines are formed by the reaction between nitrogen oxides and secondary amines in food or the body. Inhibition of the formation of N-nitrosamines can be done by controlling the reaction on nitrites or nitrite-free radicals. One compound that can inhibit the formation of nitrite-free radicals is an antioxidant compound. This article aims to discuss the effect of antioxidant compounds on nitrites as inhibitors of N-nitrosamine formation. Writing articles is written using a deductive approach by collecting literature through Google Scholar and ScienceDirect with the keyword’s antioxidant compounds and N-nitrosamines. A total of 57 articles were collected from the literature and only 17 relevant articles can be used. The search results of the article show that natural antioxidant compounds in the form of phenolic compounds, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin A can capture nitrite-free radicals, accelerate the oxidation of nitrite into nitric oxide, and inhibit the activation of enzymes that form N-nitrosamines. Enzymatic antioxidant compounds in the form of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) function as DNA protectors from carcinogenic N-nitrosamine compounds by capturing oxygen radicals and hydroxyl radicals so that DNA strand termination by oxygen radicals can be inhibited.