Possible Interaction: Nicotine and Adrenocorticotropic Hormone

“ Nicotine infusion led to greater increments of AVP, ACTH and cortisol than smoking without causing nausea.”

“ Nicotine has been shown to be a potent stimulus for the secretion of the stress-responsive hormones, adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and prolactin.”

“ ACTH increases were significantly correlated with increases in plasma nicotine (r=0.85; P<0.0001), DHEA (r=0.66; P=0.002), and epinephrine (r=0.86; P<0.0001).”

“On day 1 of acquisition of nicotine SA, plasma levels of both adrenocorticotropin and corticosterone were significantly increased 15–30 min after the first dose of nicotine.”

“In vitro CRH, ACTH , and CORT responses to nicotine were significantly increased at 10 min and returned to baseline by 30 min, the CRH and ACTH responses from female tissues being greater than responses from male tissues.”

“ Acute nicotine administration has been shown to activate the …–adrenal (HPA) axis and stimulate secretion of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone/cortisol and β‐endorphin (beta‐END) in both rodents and humans, raising the possibility … activation of the HPA axis by nicotine may mediate some of the effects of nicotine.”

“ Nicotine has also been shown to stimulate the secretion of ACTH , a stress responsive hormone.”

“ ACTH (10(-8) M) strongly potentiated the OLF stimulatory effect of nicotine in ZG cells; however significant interactions between nicotine and ACTH or angiotensin II on OLF secretion in ZFR cells were not apparent.”

“These results show that nicotine given systemically stimulates ACTH and corticosterone secretion by selective activation of central and peripheral acetylcholine nicotinic receptors.”

“a nicotinic receptor antagonist, given 15 min prior to nicotine dose-dependently diminished the ACTH and corticosterone responses, by 59 and 30% respectively.”

“ Nicotine is a potent stimulus for the secretion of ACTH , and norepinephrinergic neurons originating in the brainstem are involved.”