The effect of nicotine and cigarette smoke on respiration
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: There is a statistically significant increase in disease-related deaths during the hours between 1:00 and 9:00 A.M. This increase appears to be related, in part, to the physiological properties of sleep. Since the morning increase in mortality is world-wide, it is justified to examine the potential contributory roles of commonly used drugs. Cigarette smoking is widespread and delivers the drug, nicotine, as well as a variety of other substances found in cigarette smoke. The scientific literature on nicotine and cigarette smoke does not provide a clear understanding of the effects that these agents have on respiration. Some data suggest that nicotine is a respiratory stimulant and that it decreases upper airway resistance air-flow. Other data suggest that cigarette smoke tends to obstruct air-flow through the upper airway. However, there are no systematic studies on the effect these agents have on the control of breathing during wakefulness and sleep. Such studies would be important for understanding the impact of nicotine and cigarette smoke on cardiopulmonary disease and the degree to which cigarette smoking plays a role in the increased mortality observed in the early morning.
 
 
 
 
 
 Our group is expert in studying the effects of drugs on respiration. For example, we have demonstrated that alcohol has a deleterious effect on breathing during sleep and may contribute to the morning peak in mortality. Our techniques are readily adaptable to the study of nicotine and cigarette smoke. It is not now known how nicotine or cigarette smoke affect respiration.
 
 
 
 
 
 We will use special sleep laboratory techniques to test the following hypotheses: (a) That nicotine, through its respiratory stimulant effect, will increase the drive to breathe; (b) That the irritants contained in cigarette smoke will tend to increase upper airway resistance primarily through increased nasal resistance; (c) That the combination of increased inspiratory effort with increased upper airway resistance will cause instability of the upper airway and lead to more snoring and more airway obstruction during sleep in the smoking condition.
 
 
 
 
 
 Our methodology will measure resistance to airflow through the airway and changes in breathing effort when oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the air are experimentally altered. Subjects will be young adult, paid volunteer smokers (&lt;40 years old and free of the long-term pulmonary effects of smoking). Measurements will be made when subjects are awake and when they are asleep under three conditions designed to alter systematically exposure to nicotine and to cigarette smoke: (1 ) After they have had their usual number of cigarettes during the day and also have been wearing for 2 days a 21 mg. transdermal nicotine patch so that blood levels of nicotine are continuously at or above their usual levels; (2) After 30 days of no smoking and the continued use of nicotine patches; (3) Seven days after continued abstinence from smoking and discontinuation of the nicotine patch.