Researchers patenting new treatment for nicotine addiction

Subject : Environment

Section: Pollution

Context:

Researchers have demonstrated a practical approach for treating nicotine dependence. Currently, Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is used which relies on providing additional nicotine to the body. Researchers have now turned to nicotine’s oxidative metabolite, cotinine.

Key Facts:

Tobacco use is a global pandemic, affecting an estimated 1.2 billion people, which poses substantial health burden and costs.
With approximately 5 million tobacco-related deaths annually, cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable premature mortality in the world.
Death is mainly caused by lung cancer, coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and stroke.
The risk of serious disease diminishes rapidly after quitting and permanent abstinence is known to reduce the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, chronic lung disease, stroke, and other cancers.

About Nicotine replacement therapy

NRT is the most common medication used to assist in quit attempts. Its main mechanism of action is to partially replace the nicotine formerly obtained from tobacco smoking, which aids smoking cessation by reducing the severity of withdrawal symptoms and cravings and also reduces the reinforcing effects of nicotine delivered via tobacco while providing an alternative source of some reinforcing and cognitive effects.
NRT does not completely eliminate all symptoms of withdrawal because the available delivery systems do not reproduce the rapid and high levels of nicotine achieved through inhalation of cigarette smoke.
Differences in formulations may have an impact on the efficacy for some of these effects, but there is little direct evidence that one nicotine product is more effective than another.

How Cotinine can be an alternative approach

Using ascorbic acid as a potential reducing agent, researchers converted cotinine in smokers’ plasma back to nicotine, targeting both nicotine addiction and detoxification simultaneously.
Ascorbic acid in a specified dose (Vitamin C) converts cotinine back to nicotine within the smokers’ plasma. Individuals find it difficult to quit smoking because of nicotine withdrawal.
Current NRT products provide additional nicotine to the body. This turned researchers to cotinine.
Generally, 80% of nicotine accumulates as cotinine in the body, while the remaining 20% is eliminated in urine.
Cotinine can cause cancer. So, for the first time, instead of adding on to the nicotine content in the body, researchers have showcased that vitamin C can be utilised to recirculate cotinine.
Side effects are negligible, the person does not receive additional nicotine and detoxification occurs at the end of the cycle.