Nicotine therapeutic benefits

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC526783/

Sleep Apnea

1991 Beneficial effects of nicotine

• When chronically taken, nicotine may result in: protection against sleep apnea (other diseases / issues mentioned in study)
• PDF Version
• Citation: Jarvik ME. Beneficial effects of nicotine. Br J Addict. 1991 May;86(5):571-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1991.tb01810.x. PMID: 1859921.
• Acknowledgement: Supported by U. C. Tobacco-related Disease program, grant # RT87 and a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Spinal Cord Injury

2008 Nicotine attenuates iNOS expression and contributes to neuroprotection in a compressive model of spinal cord injury

• Animal Study
• Primary impact to the spinal cord results in stimulation of secondary processes that potentiate the initial trauma. Recent evidence indicates that nicotine can exert potent antioxidant and neuroprotective effects in spinal cord injury (SCI).
• The results of the present study indicate that iNOS is induced in the early stages of SCI, leading to increased nitration of protein tyrosine residues and potentiation of inflammatory responses. Microglial cells appear to be the main cellular source of iNOS in SCI. In addition, nicotine-induced anti-inflammatory effects in SCI are mediated, at least in part, by the attenuation of iNOS overexpression through the receptor-mediated mechanism. This data may have significant therapeutic implications for the targeting of nicotine receptors in the treatment of compressive spinal cord trauma.
• PDF Version
• Citation: Lee, M.‐Y., Chen, L. and Toborek, M. (2009), Nicotine attenuates iNOS expression and contributes to neuroprotection in a compressive model of spinal cord injury. J. Neurosci. Res., 87: 937-947.doi.org/10.1002/jnr.21901
• Acknowledgements: This work was supported in part by the Philip Morris External Research Program and the Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation.
• Key words: spinal cord injury; nicotine; neuronal nicotinic receptors; oxidative stress; inflammatory responses; nitric oxide synthase

Tourette Syndrome

2001 Transdermal nicotine and haloperidol in Tourette's disorder: a double-blind placebo-controlled study

• Transdermal nicotine (TNP) was superior to placebo in reducing behavioral symptoms when patients were receiving an optimal dose of haloperidol, when the dose of haloperidol was reduced by 50%, and when the patch had been discontinued for 2 weeks. These findings confirm earlier open-label findings and suggest that combining nicotinic receptor modulation and neuroleptics could be a therapeutic option for the treatment of Tourette's disorder.
• PDF Version
• Citation: Silver AA, Shytle RD, Philipp MK, Wilkinson BJ, McConville B, Sanberg PR. Transdermal nicotine and haloperidol in Tourette's disorder: a double-blind placebo-controlled study. J Clin Psychiatry. 2001 Sep;62(9):707-14. doi: 10.4088/jcp.v62n0908. PMID: 11681767.

1997 Nicotine for the treatment of Tourette's syndrome

• Within 24 hr of the application of a single 7-mg TNP (nicotine patch), the severity and frequency of tic symptoms is significantly decreased over baseline. This response is rapid, often reaching its maximum in the first 3 hr after application of a single patch. The duration of therapeutic effect of a single 7-mg TNP is variable and may last for about l-2 weeks.
• Application of a 7-mg TNP to children and adolescents with TS appears to be clinically safe, with transient side effects. However, no child under 8 years of age and weighing less than 25 kg was considered for TNP treatment.
• PDF Version
• Citation: Paul R. Sanberg, Archie A. Silver, R.Doug Shytle, Mary Katherine Philipp, David W. Cahill, Harold M. Fogelson, Brian J. McConville, Nicotine for the treatment of Tourette's syndrome, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Volume 74, Issue 1, 1997, Pages 21-25, ISSN 0163-7258, doi.org/10.1016/S0163-7258(96)00199-4.
• Acknowledgements-This review was supported, in part, by grants from the Tourette Syndrome Association, The National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke (ROl NS 32067sOlAl) and the Smokeless Tobacco Research Council.
• Keywords: Nicotine; Tourette's syndrome; tics; neuropsychiatric disorders

1996 Does nicotine have beneficial effects in the treatment of certain diseases?

• nicotine may have therapeutic uses in the treatment of Gilles de la Tourette’s syndrome (TS).
• Drug companies have often refused to fund legitimate and valid research into the potential therapeutic use of nicotine owing to its association with smoking and its image of an abusable drug. Many in the health profession fail to acknowledge the evidence which suggests that nicotine may have potential therapeutic value.
• PDF Version
• Citation: Birtwistle J, Hall K. Does nicotine have beneficial effects in the treatment of certain diseases? Br J Nurs. 1996 Oct 24-Nov 13;5(19):1195-202. doi: 10.12968/bjon.1996.5.19.1195. PMID: 9006184.

1996 Case study: long-term potentiation of neuroleptics with transdermal nicotine in Tourette's syndrome

• Sixteen Tourette's syndrome patients, aged 9 to 15 years, whose symptoms were not controlled with neuroleptics, were followed for various lengths of time after the application of one 7 mg transdermal nicotine patch (TNP) for 24 hours. While there was a broad range in individual response, application of the TNP produced significant reductions in Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) scores relative to baseline, with an average duration of effect lasting between 1 and 2 weeks. Side effects, for the most part, were transient.
• Eleven patients had greater percentage changes after the second TNP than after the first TNP
• PDF Version
• Citation: Silver AA, Shytle RD, Philipp MK, Sanberg PR. Case study: long-term potentiation of neuroleptics with transdermal nicotine in Tourette's syndrome. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1996 Dec;35(12):1631-6. doi: 10.1097/00004583-199612000-00015. PMID: 8973070.

1992 The effects of nicotine plus haloperidol compared to nicotine only and placebo nicotine only in reducing tic severity and frequency in Tourette's disorder

• In this study, nicotine markedly potentiated haloperidol effects in treating TD, and showed lesser effects on TD when used alone.
• PDF Version
• Citation: McConville BJ, Sanberg PR, Fogelson MH, King J, Cirino P, Parker KW, Norman AB. The effects of nicotine plus haloperidol compared to nicotine only and placebo nicotine only in reducing tic severity and frequency in Tourette's disorder. Biol Psychiatry. 1992 Apr 15;31(8):832-40. doi: 10.1016/0006-3223(92)90315-q. PMID: 1643197.
• Acknowledgements: Supported in part by grants from the Smokeless Tobacco Research Council, Inc., the Tourette Syndrome Association, and Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals. The authors thank Roger Stuebing, B.S.M.E., M.S.I.E., and Sunny Y. Lu, M.D., Ph.D. for statistical advice and Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals for supplying both Nicoreue® gum and placebo nicotine gum.

1991 Beneficial effects of nicotine

• When chronically taken, nicotine may result in: protection against Tourette's disease (other diseases mentioned in study)
• PDF Version
• Citation: Jarvik ME. Beneficial effects of nicotine. Br J Addict. 1991 May;86(5):571-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1991.tb01810.x. PMID: 1859921.
• Acknowledgement: Supported by U. C. Tobacco-related Disease program, grant # RT87 and a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

1989 Nicotine and cannabinoids as adjuncts to neuroleptics in the treatment of tourette syndrome and other motor disorders

• Chewing nicotine gum produced striking relief from tics and other symptoms of Tourette syndrome not controlled by neuroleptic treatment alone. It appears that the use of nicotine or cannabinoids may greatly improve the clinical response to neuroleptics in motor disorders.
• PDF Version
• Citation: D.E. Moss, Patricia Z. Manderscheid, S.P. Montgomery, Andrew B. Norman, Paul R. Sanberg, Nicotine and cannabinoids as adjuncts to neuroleptics in the treatment of tourette syndrome and other motor disorders, Life Sciences, Volume 44, Issue 21, 1989, Pages 1521-1525, ISSN 0024-3205, doi.org/10.1016/0024-3205(89)90444-X.
• Acknowledgements: Supported in part by NIMH (RR 08012) and NIDA. Levonantradol and fluphenazine HCL were generous gifts from Pfizer Pharmaceuticals (Groton, Conn.) and E.R. Squibb and Sons (Princeton, N.J.), respectively.

Weight Loss / Appetite Control / Metabolism / Obesity

1991 Beneficial effects of nicotine

• When chronically taken, nicotine may result in reduction of body weight
• PDF version
• Citation: Jarvik ME. Beneficial effects of nicotine. Br J Addict. 1991 May;86(5):571-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1991.tb01810.x. PMID: 1859921.
• Acknowledgement: Supported by U. C. Tobacco-related Disease program, grant # RT87 and a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.