Glutamate transporter activation enhances nicotine antinociception and attenuates nicotine analgesic tolerance

Naloxone precipitates nicotine abstinence syndrome and attenuates nicotine-induced antinociception in mice.

The present study focused on the evaluation of a role of opioid system in nicotine-induced antinociception and physical dependence in mice. The results indicate that nicotine (3 mg/kg) produced a significant antinociception in the hot plate test. Additionally, the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone (0.5 and 1 mg/kg), dose-dependently attenuated this effect. Our second experimental protocol con...

Varenicline enhances dopamine release facilitation more than nicotine after long-term nicotine treatment and withdrawal

An important factor contributing to the high relapse rates among smokers is nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Multiple studies suggest that decreased dopamine release in nucleus accumbens plays a key role in withdrawal. However, recent reports showed that long-term nicotine exposure itself also decreases accumbal dopamine release, suggesting that additional mechanisms are involved in withdrawal. He...

Tobacco & Nicotine - nicotine as therapy

Reduced nicotine content cigarettes and nicotine patch.

BACKGROUND Reduced nicotine content (RNC) cigarettes have led to smoking fewer cigarettes, withdrawal relief, and facilitation of cessation. The aim of this study is to examine the effects RNC cigarettes with and without nicotine patch and patch alone on smoking behavior, toxicant exposure, withdrawal discomfort, and as an exploratory analysis, on long-term abstinence. METHODS This study invo...

Exposure to nicotine enhances its subsequent self-administration: contribution of nicotine-associated contextual stimuli.

Contextual stimuli present during nicotine exposure can come to act as conditioned stimuli and have been shown to play an important role in ongoing nicotine self-administration. In the present study, we characterized the effects of contextual stimuli previously paired with non-contingent nicotine exposure injections on subsequent nicotine self-administration. Rats were exposed to five injection...