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Review
. 2022 Feb 18:13:826889.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.826889. eCollection 2022.

Nicotine in Inflammatory Diseases: Anti-Inflammatory and Pro-Inflammatory Effects

Wenji Zhang  1 , Hui Lin  2 , Mingmin Zou  1 , Qinghua Yuan  1 , Zhenrui Huang  1 , Xiaoying Pan  1 , Wenjuan Zhang  3
Affiliations
Review

Nicotine in Inflammatory Diseases: Anti-Inflammatory and Pro-Inflammatory Effects

Wenji Zhang et al. Front Immunol. .

Abstract

As an anti-inflammatory alkaloid, nicotine plays dual roles in treating diseases. Here we reviewed the anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory effects of nicotine on inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, sepsis, endotoxemia, myocarditis, oral/skin/muscle inflammation, etc., mainly concerning the administration methods, different models, therapeutic concentration and duration, and relevant organs and tissues. According to the data analysis from recent studies in the past 20 years, nicotine exerts much more anti-inflammatory effects than pro-inflammatory ones, especially in ulcerative colitis, arthritis, sepsis, and endotoxemia. On the other hand, in oral inflammation, nicotine promotes and aggravates some diseases such as periodontitis and gingivitis, especially when there are harmful microorganisms in the oral cavity. We also carefully analyzed the nicotine dosage to determine its safe and effective range. Furthermore, we summarized the molecular mechanism of nicotine in these inflammatory diseases through regulating immune cells, immune factors, and the vagus and acetylcholinergic anti-inflammatory pathways. By balancing the "beneficial" and "harmful" effects of nicotine, it is meaningful to explore the effective medical value of nicotine and open up new horizons for remedying acute and chronic inflammation in humans.

Keywords: anti-inflammation; immune; nAChRs; nicotine; pro-inflammation; vagus.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Inflammatory diseases and related organs and cells regulated by nicotine. Created with BioRender.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The dosage of nicotine salt used for in vivo animal experiments (i.p., intraperitoneal; s.c., subcutaneous).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic diagram of nicotine-mediated inflammation signaling pathways. Created with BioRender.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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