Posted on 05/07/2009 9:41:46 AM PDT by nickcarraway
British scientists say they've determined nicotine can delay the effects of ricin used during a bioterrorism attack.
Jon Mabley and his colleagues at the University of Brighton found nicotine works to block the tissue-destroying effects of ricin -- a highly toxic compound derived from castor beans. The study was conducted in laboratory models, but the scientists said nicotine agonists could potentially be used in patients exposed to ricin as a stopgap measure before other treatments take effect.
The British investigators studied the effect of nicotine on animals exposed to ricin and found it reduced death and organ failure.
"The protective effect of nicotine appears to be associated with its anti-inflammatory effect, suggesting a possible therapeutic strategy of activating the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway following ricin exposure to protect against multiple organ failure," the scientists said. "The overall effect of nicotine on maintaining liver and kidney function, while reducing systemic inflammation, may account for the reduced mortality observed with ricin exposure."
Activation of the anti-inflammatory cholinergic pathway is now undergoing testing to reduce inflammation in a wide range of diseases.
The study appears in the journal Molecular Medicine.
Ping.
It must be a very small amount, as pure nicotine in the right amount can kill you. It doesn’t take a lot, so there must be a very fine line between where it goes from helpful to hurtful.
Smoking a couple of good cigars a day should provide JUSt the right amount! I hope.
Smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em!
Must be why Obama hasn’t quit smoking.
Because you’re outside smoking when the bomb goes off in the basement?
Activation of the anti-inflammatory cholinergic pathway is now undergoing testing to reduce inflammation in a wide range of diseases.
Now, everyone quit smoking while we work on getting this into a pill we can patent and charge hundreds of dollars for...
I remember people sending their kids to college with the income from a 5 to 10 acre tobacco farm, while the kids learned the meaning of hard work.
I wonder if some smart lawyer could use this information to mount a court challenge to Virginia’s brand new “Restaurant Smoking Ban”?
;^)
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