Nicotine and Tobacco Flashcards
Nicotine is an X, derived from Y.
Plant alkaloid, nicotinic acid.
What is nicotine in pharmacological terms?
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist.
What is 70-80% of nicotine metabolised into in the liver?
Cotinine.
How does cotinine compare to nicotine pharmocologically? (i.e. potency and half life)
Lower potency, longer half life.
Nicotine affects brain nAChRs, but not ganglial or neuromuscular ones. What is the particular pentameric construction of brain nAChRs?
(alpha4)2(beta4)3
What particular nicotinic AChR is made of (alpha4)2(beta4)3?
Brain ones. These are the ones targeted by nicotine.
Think ‘prolonged nAChR stimulation’; think…
…desensitisation and resultant increase in expression.
The overall balance between activation and desensitisation leads to (two points):
PROMT: Aaaaah. Now I’m in a better mood to pay attention to how you’re gonna arouse me. Teach me daddy yeah!!
1- a. increased arousal b. attention c. mood, d. relaxation.
2- increased learning, particularly under stress.
The overall balance between activation and desensitisation leads to (two points):
1- a. increased arousal b. attention c. mood, d. relaxation.
2- increased learning, particularly under stress.
Increased activity in the X pathway is seen in drug addiction.
mesolimbic
Increased A activity in the B is seen in drug addiction.
dopamine, nucleus accumbens
What two neurological structures are involved in drug addiction and similar in nicotine addiction?
Mesolimbic pathway (increased activity) and nucleus accumbens (increased DA).
What is the significance of brain nAChR desensitisation in this lecture?
That’s the main basis of addiction.
Why is dopamine involved in the CNS effects?
DA release is triggered by nAChR stimulation.
What is the brain nAChR antagonist that demonstrated the mechanism of action of nicotine?
Cruel miller on a pilgrimage.
Mecamylamine
What is the brain nAChR antagonist that demonstrated the mechanism of action of nicotine?
No prompt.
Mecamylamine
What are the CV effects of nicotine?
Increased heart rate, CO, BP
What molecules does nicotine promote?
Ad, NAd (think sympathetic) and ADH