{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]],"date-time":"2026-06-02T03:45:27Z","timestamp":1780371927853,"version":"3.54.1"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,19]]},"group-title":"Pharmacology and Toxicology","reference-count":12,"publisher":"openRxiv","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,19]],"date-time":"2025-11-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1763510400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Center for Tobacco Products of the US Food and Drug Administration","award":["U54DA036151"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["U54DA036151"]}]},{"name":"National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Center for Tobacco Products of the US Food and Drug Administration","award":["R01DA060884"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01DA060884"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Since late 2022, the sale of most flavoured tobacco products has been prohibited in California, including menthol cigarettes. Tobacco companies responded by introducing \u201cnon-menthol\u201d cigarettes in which menthol was replaced with WS-3, an odorless synthetic cooling agent to elicit cooling sensations similar to menthol. Legislation enacted in 2024 banned the addition of cooling characterizing flavours in tobacco products in California. However, the industry continues to market \u201cnon-menthol\u201d cigarettes in the state, with very similar package designs. It is unknown whether these cigarettes contain a cooling agent.<\/jats:p>\n                <\/jats:sec>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    Available Newport-branded \u201cnon-menthol\u201d cigarettes were purchased in California in 2025, extracted and tested for sensory cooling activity by Ca\n                    <jats:sup>2+<\/jats:sup>\n                    microfluorimetry of HEK293T cells expressing the human TRPM8 cold\/menthol receptor. Chemical analysis was performed by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GCMS). \u201cNon-menthol\u201d and menthol cigarettes marketed in 2023-24 served as controls.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                <\/jats:sec>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Extracts from Newport-branded \u201cnon-menthol\u201d cigarettes marketed in California in 2025 did not elicit sensory cooling activity. Chemical analysis confirmed the absence of menthol and any of the major commercial synthetic cooling agents.<\/jats:p>\n                <\/jats:sec>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>The tobacco industry removed sensory cooling agents from \u201cnon-menthol\u201d cigarettes marketed in California. However, this did not result in the market withdrawal of \u201cnon-menthol\u201d cigarettes in the state. \u201cNon-menthol\u201d cigarettes in California continue to be marketed with package designs resembling those of former menthol cigarettes, signaling the potential presence of a characterising flavour.<\/jats:p>\n                <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1101\/2025.11.17.688932","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,19]],"date-time":"2025-11-19T22:35:13Z","timestamp":1763591713000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Absence of Sensory Cooling Activity and Cooling Agents from California\u2019s New \u201cNon-Menthol\u201d Cigarettes Marketed in 2025"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0646-3519","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sairam V.","family":"Jabba","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3443-9794","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hanno C.","family":"Erythropel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4777-5172","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paul T.","family":"Anastas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1976-2369","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stephanie S.","family":"O\u2019Malley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3272-9782","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Suchitra","family":"Krishnan-Sarin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5392-312X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Julie B.","family":"Zimmerman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6171-5622","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sven E.","family":"Jordt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"54368","reference":[{"key":"2025120401353446000_2025.11.17.688932v2.1","unstructured":"SB-793 flavored tobacco products: 2020. Available: https:\/\/leginfo.legislature.ca.gov\/faces\/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB793 [Accessed 10\/23 2025]."},{"key":"2025120401353446000_2025.11.17.688932v2.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/ntr\/ntaa152"},{"key":"2025120401353446000_2025.11.17.688932v2.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2023.17134"},{"key":"2025120401353446000_2025.11.17.688932v2.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/tc-2023-058149"},{"key":"2025120401353446000_2025.11.17.688932v2.5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/tc-2023-058074"},{"key":"2025120401353446000_2025.11.17.688932v2.6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2105\/ajph.2025.308182"},{"key":"2025120401353446000_2025.11.17.688932v2.7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2024.22986"},{"key":"2025120401353446000_2025.11.17.688932v2.8","unstructured":"Wood J , Rivas R , Berman M , et al. California Assembly Bill 3218 - Enrolled: 2024. Available: https:\/\/leginfo.legislature.ca.gov\/faces\/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB3218 [Accessed 08\/22 2025]."},{"key":"2025120401353446000_2025.11.17.688932v2.9","unstructured":"Reynolds Tobacco RJ . Brand Compounds: R. J. Reynolds Tobacco; 2023. Available: https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20230112122910\/ https:\/\/rjrt.com\/commercial-integrity\/ingredients\/brand-compounds\/ [Accessed 01\/21 2023]."},{"key":"2025120401353446000_2025.11.17.688932v2.10","unstructured":"Reynolds Tobacco RJ . Commercial Integrity > Cigarette Ingredients By Brand: R. J. Reynolds Tobacco; 2024. Available: https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240912183502\/ https:\/\/rjrt.com\/commercial-integrity\/tobacco-product-ingredients\/ [Accessed 09\/12 2025]."},{"key":"2025120401353446000_2025.11.17.688932v2.11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/tobaccocontrol-2015-052656"},{"key":"2025120401353446000_2025.11.17.688932v2.12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Miller BM . Notice of Determination 23-06-A1: 2023. Available: https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/system\/files\/media\/notice-of-determination-23-06-a1-re-kool.pdf [Accessed 10\/23 2025].","DOI":"10.1016\/S1529-9430(23)03310-7"}],"container-title":[],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.1101\/2025.11.17.688932","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,15]],"date-time":"2026-01-15T10:03:34Z","timestamp":1768471414000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/biorxiv.org\/lookup\/doi\/10.1101\/2025.11.17.688932"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,19]]},"references-count":12,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1101\/2025.11.17.688932","relation":{},"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,19]]},"subtype":"preprint"}}