Toxicity, nicotine

Sener, G., Sehirli, A. O., Ipci, Y., Cetinel, S., Cikler, E. and Gedik, N. 2005. Chronic nicotine toxicity is prevented by aqueous garlic extract. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, 60 77-86. 

Kovacic, P. and Cooksy, A. 2005. Iminium metabolite mechanism for nicotine toxicity and addicton Oxidative stress and electron transfer. Medical Hypotheses, 64 104-111. 

Ingestion of 60 mg of nicotine can be fatal to an adult. This is an amount that might be ingested with exposure to some insecticide sprays. A smaller amount is toxic to children and pets who accidentally ingest tobacco products. Tobacco pickers and patients on nicotine replacement therapy who continue to smoke have also experienced nicotine toxicity. Symptoms include salivation, dizziness, vomiting, tremors, convulsions, and severely low blood pressure. Death may result in a few minutes due to respiratory failure caused by lung paralysis. 

Nicotine and neonicotinoids are agonists, both of which act at the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor -Na" /K+ ionophore. The structural differences between the insect and mammalian receptors define the selectivity of neonicotinoid toxicity to insects and nicotine toxicity to vertebrates. The proposed concept of the neonicotinoid electronegative pharmacophore... 

There are no apparent species differences in nicotine toxicity between animals and man. The toxic sequelae following chronic nicotine exposure to animals is similar to that in man including GI problems, cardiovascular effects, changes in neurochemistry, and reproductive effects such as decreased birth weight and length of gestation. 

Modification of nicotine toxicity by pretreatment with different drugs. Biochem Pharmacol 18 2145, 1969. 

The comparative toxicity of nicotine to various species has been the subject of many studies with many conflicting results depending upon the route of administration, pH of solution, natiire of the salt, volume of solution administered, time taken to administer the drug and, as mentioned earlier whether the animals were naive or had been pretreated with a low dose of nicotine. An additional variable in reports of acute nicotine toxicity is the time that elapses between administration and death of the animal. These factors have made any absolute comparison of sensitivity towards nicotine acute... 

For mild nicotine toxicity such as the nausea, weakness and vomiting that occurs during the harvesting of tobacco leaves, prochlorperazine is recommended. 

List the major signs and symptoms of (1) organophosphate insecticide poisoning and (2) acute nicotine toxicity. 

Nicotinic toxicity Nicotine is commonly used in the form of chewing gum and transder-mal patches by smokers trying to kick the habit and is still used also in some insecticides. Toxic effects include CNS stimulation (including convulsions), ganglionic stimulation, and neuromuscular end plate depolarization leading to fasciculations and paralysis. 

A 21-year-old woman who had taken 10 to 20 doses (dose amount unspecified) of blue cohosh tincture daily for 4 days during weeks 5 or 6 of pregnancy in an attempt to induce abortion was diagnosed with nicotinic toxicity. Symptoms included hypertension, tachycardia, vomiting, diaphoresis, and muscle fasciculations of the abdominal wall. The woman was also taking slippery elm orally and using slippery elm and parsley douches (Rao and Hoffman 2002). 

Rao, R.B., and R.S. Hoffman. 2002. Nicotinic toxicity from tincture of blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) used as an abortifacient. Vet. Hum. Toxicol. 44(4) 221-222. 

Arredondo J, Nguyen VT, Chemyavsky AI, Jolkovsky DL, Pinkerton KE, Grando SA. A receptor-mediated mechanism of nicotine toxicity in oral keratino-cytes. Lab Invest 2001 81 1653-68. 

Berthier S, Michiels C, Sgro C, Bonnotte B, Lorcerie B. Acute nonalcoholic nonbUi-aiy pancreatitis. Difficulties in diagnosis and possibility of nicotine toxicity. Presse Med 2005 34 795-6. 

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