Nicotine

What is Nicotine?

• Nicotine is a toxic colorless or yellowish oily liquid that is the chief active constituent of tobacco.

• It acts as a stimulant in small doses, but in larger amounts blocks the action of autonomic nerve and skeletal muscle cells.

• Also, it is a chemical compound that is present in tobacco. When tobacco is smoked, nicotine is absorbed through the wall lining of the small air sacs in the lungs. When sniffed or chewed, it is absorbed.

Chemical structure of Nicotine

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How Nicotine looks like?

Chemistry of Nicotine

• Nicotine is a potent parasympathomimetic alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants (Solanaceae) and a stimulant drug.

• It is a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist. It is made in the roots and accumulates in the leaves of the plants. It constitutes approximately 0.6–3.0% of the dry weight of tobacco and is present in the range of 2–7 µg/kg of various edible plants.

• It functions as an ant herbivore chemical; consequently, nicotine was widely used as an insecticide in the past and nicotine analogs such as imidacloprid are currently widely used.

• In smaller doses (an average cigarette yields about 1 mg of absorbed nicotine), the substance acts as a stimulant in mammals, while high amounts (50–100 mg) can be harmful. This stimulant effect is likely a major contributing factor to the dependence-forming properties of tobacco smoking, nicotine patches, nicotine gum, nicotine inhalers and liquid nicotine vapourizers.

Harmful effects of Nicotine

• Tobacco harms every organ of the body. It affects lungs, heart, kidneys, digestive system, liver, eyes and many other vital organs in the body. Further, people who smoke tobacco get their sense of smell and taste weakened.

• Also 'passive smoking' or 'secondhand smoking' harms non-smokers.

• The tobacco smoke contains harmful chemicals. When inhaled by non-smokers in the smoker's proximity, it causes coughing, phlegm and decline in the functionality of the lungs. Studies show that it can cause heart diseases even among non-smokers who are subjected to secondhand smoking.

Addictive effects• Nicotine is absorbed into the body when an individual

smokes or chews tobacco. Nicotine causes elevation of mood. This is the principal reason for nicotine causing addiction.

• The nicotine absorbed by a smoker reaches the brain via blood. This leads to numerous chemical reactions in the brain and causes feeling of high. It lasts for a short span.

• Once the nicotine level declines, there is no longer the high-feeling. To have a similar feeling again, the smoker has to smoke again, thus it causes addiction.

Statistics of using Nicotine in US

Race/Ethnicity Cigarette Smoking Rate containing NicotineAmerican Indian/Alaska Natives (Non-Hispanic) 31.5%

Asians (Non-Hispanic) 9.9%Blacks (Non-Hispanic) 19.4%Hispanics 12.9%Whites (Non-Hispanic) 20.6%

How nicotine work on the brain?

• Once nicotine is absorbed, it enters the bloodstream where it circulates throughout the body and travels to the brain where it crosses the blood-brain barrier.

• Once in the brain, it binds to and activates receptors called the cholinergic receptors. Nicotine can also be absorbed through the skin.

• The nicotine in inhaled tobacco smoke moves from the lungs, into the bloodstream and up to the smoker's brain within 7 to 10 seconds. Once there, nicotine triggers a number of chemical reactions that create temporary feelings of pleasure for the smoker, but these sensations are short-lived, subsiding within minutes.

• As the nicotine level drops in the blood, smokers feel edgy and agitated -- the start of nicotine withdrawal.

• So, in order to relieve the discomforts, smokers light up another cigarette...and then another…and another. And so it goes -- the vicious cycle of nicotine addiction. One cigarette is never enough, a fact that every smoker knows all too well.

Acute effect of Nicotine:

• Nicotine is found to cause :• high blood pressure• increased pulse rate and• cough. • It may also lead to oral causes. They are:

• Bad breath: Smoking tobacco or chewing tobacco causes severe bad breath in the individual. Bad breath is because the nicotine, tar and other chemicals in tobacco get deposited in your oral cavity. The chemicals in tobacco drastically reduce the formation of saliva in your mouth, causing dry mouth, thus leading to the growth of odor causing bacteria.

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• •Increased heart rate and blood pressure: Nicotine causes increased heart rate and blood pressure. This is because nicotine reduces oxygen supply to the heart and thus makes it less functional. Further, it makes blood vessels narrow because of the formation of blood clots. It thus, causes increased workload on the heart; hence, there is increased heart rate. All these factors cause increased blood pressure.

Chronic effect of nicotine:

• Long-term effects of nicotine include:• addiction• increased risk of heart diseases and decline in

insulin levels• cancer • Stained teeth

Increased risk of heart diseases:

• There is increased risk of heart diseases in the long-term due to nicotine addiction. Nicotine causes narrowing down of the blood canals. It is because nicotine gets attached to its receptor proteins in the blood vessel and stays there and thus causes constriction of blood canals.

• Also, in the long-term, nicotine damages the lining of blood vessels that leads to deposition of cholesterol in the blood vessels. This may ultimately lead to a heart attack.

• Inhibits the release of insulin:• Nicotine leads to reduction in the secretion of insulin that is essential in

absorption of carbohydrates in the body. Normally, when the glucose level rises because of food intake, insulin comes to the rescue by reducing the glucose levels. In smokers, this is not the case; insulin is released in less quantity. When glucose levels are present in higher levels than required in blood, it may cause harm to the heart and kidneys.

• May lead to cancer: • Nicotine as a causative substance of cancer is debatable. The other chemicals

in tobacco like tar containing cyanide, benzene, formaldehyde, etc. are said to cause cancer. These chemicals are released in the body when tar enters because of smoking, over a long period.

• Premature aging: • Smokers look older than they actually are. This is because of the effect of

nicotine on the production and functioning of antioxidants in the body - responsible for fighting free radicals in the body formed due to environmental pollution, stress, etc. Antioxidants make the skin and other soft tissues look young.

• By all accounts, nicotine has destructive effects on every part of your body - be in the short or long-term. Hence, a strict warning indeed to non-smokers is to never experiment with it!

• By all accounts, nicotine has destructive effects on every part of your body - be in the short or long-term. Hence, a strict warning indeed to non-smokers is to never experiment with it !

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4c_wI6kQyE

Work Cited

• Mandal, Ananya. "Nicotine - What Is Nicotine?" Nicotine - What Is Nicotine? N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.

• Levin, Ed. "Nicotine." Nicotine. Psychompharmacology, 1 Jan. 1996. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.

• Trimarchi, Maria, and Ann Meeker-O'Connell. "How Nicotine Works." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, 02 Jan. 2001. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.

• "Drug Abuse." : Short and Long-Term Effects of Nicotine on Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.

• "Drug Abuse." : Short and Long-Term Effects of Nicotine on Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.

• Hemelstine, Anne Marie. "Nicotine Chemical Structure." About.com Chemistry. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.

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