Nicotine And Related Alkaloids

Nicotine is an alkaloid which is present, together with a number of minor alkaloids, in tobacco and a wide variety of other plants. The introduction of tobacco as a therapeutic agent against diverse pathologi cal and physiological conditions resulted in the widespread exposure of people to nicotine, and the subsequent recognition of the pleasurable effects of tobacco consumption. Tobacco may be used for pleasure by smoking it in pipes, cigars or cigarettes or by taking it in unsmoked form as oral and nasal tobacco snuff. Nonsmokers are exposed to nico tine through plant material and side-stream tobacco smoke. This means that in humans nicotine is always utilized in the presence of a very large variety of natural compounds or their pyrolysis products, depend ing on the route of administration. These compounds may modify the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of nicotine and hence alter the duration of its pharmacological action. In recent years the use of nicotine in chewing gum and cutaneous patches has been developed as an aid to smoking cessation. The toxic properties of nicotine make it useful as an insecticide, which has led to its use in agriculture and horticulture. It has also recently been recog nized that tobacco consumption may be beneficial in the prevention of Parkinson's disease or in alleviating inflammatory bowel syndrome. The above observations have continued to stimulate research into the mode of action of this relatively simple molecule.

This report considers the biological and behavioral mechanisms that may underlie the pathogenicity of tobacco smoke. Many Surgeon General's reports have considered research findings on mechanisms in assessing the biological plausibility of associations observed in epidemiologic studies. Mechanisms of disease are important because they may provide plausibility, which is one of the guideline criteria for assessing evidence on causation. This report specifically reviews the evidence on the potential mechanisms by which smoking causes diseases and considers whether a mechanism is likely to be operative in the production of human disease by tobacco smoke. This evidence is relevant to understanding how smoking causes disease, to identifying those who may be particularly susceptible, and to assessing the potential risks of tobacco products.

This book provides for the first time a single comprehensive source of information on the analytical chemistry of nicotine and related alkaloids. The editors have brought together scientists from academia and the tobacco industry to describe the state-of-the-art of the chemistry and analytical methods for measurement of nicotine. Both the scope and detail of the book are impressive. Chapters describe the history, pharmacology and toxicology of nicotine, the biosynthesis of nicotine and other alkaloids in the tobacco plant, the general chemistry of nicotine and the analytical methodologies that have been used to measure nicotine and related alkaloids in biological specimens, in tobacco and pharmaceutical products and in tobacco smoke. There is also a comprehensive review of the chemistry and toxicology of nicotine-derived nitrosamines, an important class of tobacco carcinogens.

Proceedings of an American Chemical Society symposium on Biosynthesis and Metabolism of Secondary Metabolite Natural Products, held April 1991, in Atlanta, Georgia. Bridging the gap between the fields of mechanistic bio-organic chemistry and biotechnology, contributions are in four main areas: antib

Millions of Americans use e-cigarettes. Despite their popularity, little is known about their health effects. Some suggest that e-cigarettes likely confer lower risk compared to combustible tobacco cigarettes, because they do not expose users to toxicants produced through combustion. Proponents of e-cigarette use also tout the potential benefits of e-cigarettes as devices that could help combustible tobacco cigarette smokers to quit and thereby reduce tobacco-related health risks. Others are concerned about the exposure to potentially toxic substances contained in e-cigarette emissions, especially in individuals who have never used tobacco products such as youth and young adults. Given their relatively recent introduction, there has been little time for a scientific body of evidence to develop on the health effects of e-cigarettes. Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes reviews and critically assesses the state of the emerging evidence about e-cigarettes and health. This report makes recommendations for the improvement of this research and highlights gaps that are a priority for future research.