Cigarette smoke contains 4000 harmful chemicals.60 of them are carcinogens.Nicotine is the addictive element in the cigarette smoke.The National Institute of Drug Abuse is developing the vaccine to counteract the additive effect of nicotine.This article tries to gain further insight in to the findings.
Why a Nicotine Vaccine is required badly?
- Smokers remain additive because of the influence of nicotine on brain cells.
- Quitters suffer from the withdrawal symptoms primarily because of the nicotine.
- Passive smokers are equally at risks of the dangers of smoking.
What the Nicotine Vaccine research is about ?
- Nicotine releases a hormone called dopamine.This hormone gives the feeling of relief and high to which smokers are addicted.
- It influences the same region of the brain,which other drugs also influence.
- The researchers are trying to find about the receptors in the cells of the brain that respond to nicotine during this process.
- Understanding of the mechanism which helps nicotine in influencing the brain cells is imperative.
- With this knowledge,a counter mechanism can be devised in the form of the drug or vaccine.
How the Nicotine Vaccine works ?
- Researchers are testing nicotine vaccine on humans.
- Nicotine gets absorbed in to the blood stream in 30 seconds of inhalation of the smoke.
- The components in the vaccine try to arrest this process of fast absorption of nicotine in the blood stream.
- In this way,it is stopped from reaching the brain.It is because nicotine is known to effect the organs of the body in unexpected ways once it reaches the brain.
- The vaccine also tries to decrease the rewarding effects of nicotine on the brain cells.
- The results are found to be promising.
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The researchers at The National Institute of Drug Abuse are hopeful that this nicotine vaccine will be a reality soon.
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