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REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Neuropharmacology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1427314
This article is part of the Research Topic World No-Tobacco: Effects of Tobacco and Nicotine on the Brain View all 3 articles

The double-edged nature of nicotine: toxicities and therapeutic potentials

Provisionally accepted
Yun Cao Yun Cao 1Jiali Sun Jiali Sun 2Xiaofeng Wang Xiaofeng Wang 1Xiaoyu Zhang Xiaoyu Zhang 1Huijuan Tian Huijuan Tian 1Lingling Huang Lingling Huang 2Ze Huang Ze Huang 2Yaping Zhang Yaping Zhang 1Jin Zhang Jin Zhang 1Lin Li Lin Li 2*Shun Zhou Shun Zhou 1
  • 1 China Tobacco Anhui Industrial Co., Ltd., Hefei, China
  • 2 Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Nicotine is the primary addictive component of cigarette smoke and is associated with various smoking-related diseases. However, recent research has revealed its broader cognitive-enhancing and anti-inflammatory properties, suggesting its potential therapeutic applications in several conditions. This review aims to examine the double-edged nature of nicotine, encompassing its positive and negative effects. We provide a concise overview of the physiochemical properties and pharmacology of nicotine, including insights into nicotine receptors. Therefore, the article is divided into two main sections: toxicity and therapeutic potential. We comprehensively explored nicotine-related diseases, focusing on specific signaling pathways and the underlying mechanisms that contribute to its effects. Furthermore, we addressed the current research challenges and future development perspectives. This review aims to inspire future researchers to explore the full medical potential of nicotine, which holds significant promise for the clinical management of specific diseases.

    Keywords: Nicotine, Double-edged effect, Toxicity, Therapeutic potential, Pharmacodynamics

    Received: 03 May 2024; Accepted: 30 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Cao, Sun, Wang, Zhang, Tian, Huang, Huang, Zhang, Zhang, Li and Zhou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Lin Li, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, Fujian Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.