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Sami A, Elimairi I, Anthony Ryan C, Paul Ross R, Stanton C. Sudanese Toombak smokeless tobacco users harbour significantly altered long-term cortisol body production. Steroids 2023; 193:109189. [PMID: 36738817 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2023.109189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The Sudanese, in particular its male population, are known to utilise a smokeless tobacco product (Toombak) which is placed in the oral cavity and can be replaced several times a day. Toombak has been shown to harm human health and is highly addictive. The effect on body cortisol response over a retrospective period in users of this product has not been previously explored. In addition, psycho-dependency scores of Toombak users have not been analysed. In this study, 37 male subjects, age 18-45 years were recruited, of which 18 were non-users of Toombak and 19 were Toombak users. One hair sample was collected from each user and non-user of Toombak. Each hair sample (n=37) was placed in a pre-prepared long piece of foil with two labels on either side marked: 'scalp-side' and 'distant-side'. Cortisol was extracted by mincing 10 mg of 'scalp-side' hair, not exceeding 3 cm, with methanol addition, incubation, and sonication. Cortisol was measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit (Enzo Life Sciences, UK). The amount of hair cortisol in the samples was determined using spectrophotometry at wavelength 405 nm measured in pg/ml and visualised with a four parametric logistic curve. Toombak users were further asked to complete the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence-Smokeless Tobacco questionnaire (FTND-ST) comprising of six questions. Scores of > 5 indicated a significant dependence, while a score of < 4 marked low to moderate dependence. The mean concentration of hair cortisol in Toombak users (9.7 pg/ml) was significantly lower (p=0.023) compared to non-users (19.4 pg/ml), with total concentrations ranging from 2.1 to 55.6 pg/ml. FTND-ST scores ranged from 4 to 9, with high levels of psycho-dependency (score > 5) and nicotine tolerance found in 85 % of Toombak users. Cortisol body release in Sudanese smokeless tobacco users was found to be significantly altered. While low cortisol levels do lead to anxiolytic effects, in the long-term, this can allow for increased susceptibility to low cortisol-associated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amel Sami
- APC Microbiome Ireland, School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork T12 YN60, Europe; Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Oral Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, National Ribat University, Nile Street, Khartoum 1111, Sudan
| | - Imad Elimairi
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Oral Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, National Ribat University, Nile Street, Khartoum 1111, Sudan.
| | - C Anthony Ryan
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University College Cork, Cork T12 DFK4, Europe
| | - R Paul Ross
- APC Microbiome Ireland, School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork T12 YN60, Europe
| | - Catherine Stanton
- APC Microbiome Ireland, School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork T12 YN60, Europe; Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Cork P61 C996, Ireland.
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Rehan M, Zargar UR, Sheikh IA, Alharthy SA, Almashjary MN, Abuzenadah AM, Beg MA. Potential Disruption of Systemic Hormone Transport by Tobacco Alkaloids Using Computational Approaches. TOXICS 2022; 10:toxics10120727. [PMID: 36548560 PMCID: PMC9784225 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10120727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Tobacco/nicotine is one of the most toxic and addictive substances and continues to pose a significant threat to global public health. The harmful effects of smoking/nicotine affect every system in the human body. Nicotine has been associated with effects on endocrine homeostasis in humans such as the imbalance of gonadal steroid hormones, adrenal corticosteroid hormones, and thyroid hormones. The present study was conducted to characterize the structural binding interactions of nicotine and its three important metabolites, cotinine, trans-3'-hydroxycotinine, and 5'-hydroxycotinine, against circulatory hormone carrier proteins, i.e., sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG), and thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG). Nicotine and its metabolites formed nonbonded contacts and/or hydrogen bonds with amino acid residues of the carrier proteins. For SHBG, Phe-67 and Met-139 were the most important amino acid residues for nicotine ligand binding showing the maximum number of interactions and maximum loss in ASA. For CBG, Trp-371 and Asn-264 were the most important amino acid residues, and for TBG, Ser-23, Leu-269, Lys-270, Asn-273, and Arg-381 were the most important amino acid residues. Most of the amino acid residues of carrier proteins interacting with nicotine ligands showed a commonality with the interacting residues for the native ligands of the proteins. Taken together, the results suggested that nicotine and its three metabolites competed with native ligands for binding to their carrier proteins. Thus, nicotine and its three metabolites may potentially interfere with the binding of testosterone, estradiol, cortisol, progesterone, thyroxine, and triiodothyronine to their carrier proteins and result in the disbalance of their transport and homeostasis in the blood circulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Rehan
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ummer R. Zargar
- Department of Zoology, Government Degree College, Anantnag 192101, Kashmir, India
| | - Ishfaq A. Sheikh
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Reproductive Biology Laboratory, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saif A. Alharthy
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Toxicology and Forensic Sciences Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Animal House Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Majed N. Almashjary
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Animal House Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Hematology Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Adel M. Abuzenadah
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohd A. Beg
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Reproductive Biology Laboratory, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
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Silva H. Tobacco Use and Periodontal Disease-The Role of Microvascular Dysfunction. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:441. [PMID: 34067557 PMCID: PMC8156280 DOI: 10.3390/biology10050441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Periodontal disease consists in highly prevalent wide-ranging inflammatory conditions that affect the supporting apparatus of teeth. Tobacco use is the most important risk factor for periodontal disease as it increases disease severity and periodontal surgery complications. Tobacco use is harmful for the vasculature by causing microvascular dysfunction, which is known to negatively affect periodontal disease. To the author's knowledge this paper is the first comprehensive review on the mechanisms by which tobacco use affects oral microcirculation and impacts the pathophysiology of periodontal disease. In healthy subjects, acute nicotine administration or tobacco use (smoking/smokeless forms) increases the blood flow in the oral mucosa due to local irritation and increased blood pressure, which overcome neural- and endocrine-mediated vasoconstriction. Chronic tobacco smokers display an increased gingival microvascular density, which is attributed to an increased capillary recruitment, however, these microcirculatory units show higher tortuosity and lower caliber. These morphological changes, together with the repetitive vasoconstrictive insults, contribute to lower gingival perfusion in chronic smokers and do not completely regress upon smoking cessation. In periodontal disease there is considerable gingival inflammation and angiogenesis in non-smokers which, in chronic smokers, are considerably suppressed, in part due to local immune suppression and oxidative stress. Tobacco exposure, irrespective of the form of use, causes long-term microvascular dysfunction that increases the risk of complications due to the natural disease course or secondary therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrique Silva
- Informetrics Research Group, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 758307, Vietnam;
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 758307, Vietnam
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Sunstrum JK, Inoue W. Heterosynaptic modulation in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Neuropharmacology 2018; 154:87-95. [PMID: 30408488 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Revised: 10/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The stress response-originally described by Hans Selye as "the nonspecific response of the body to any demand made upon it"-is chiefly mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and is activated by diverse sensory stimuli that inform threats to homeostasis. The diversity of signals regulating the HPA axis is partly achieved by the complexity of afferent inputs that converge at the apex of the HPA axis: this apex is formed by a group of neurosecretory neurons that synthesize corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). The afferent synaptic inputs onto these PVN-CRH neurons originate from a number of brain areas, and PVN-CRH neurons respond to a long list of neurotransmitters/neuropeptides. Considering this complexity, an important question is how these diverse afferent signals independently and/or in concert influence the excitability of PVN-CRH neurons. While many of these inputs directly act on the postsynaptic PVN-CRH neurons for the summation of signals, accumulating data indicates that they also modulate each other's transmission in the PVN. This mode of transmission, termed heterosynaptic modulation, points to mechanisms through which the activity of a specific modulatory input (conveying a specific sensory signal) can up- or down-regulate the efficacy of other afferent synapses (mediating other stress modalities) depending on receptor expression for and spatial proximity to the heterosynaptic signals. Here, we review examples of heterosynaptic modulation in the PVN and discuss its potential role in the regulation of PVN-CRH neurons' excitability and resulting HPA axis activity. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Hypothalamic Control of Homeostasis'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia K Sunstrum
- Neuroscience Program, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Wataru Inoue
- Neuroscience Program, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
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Balkan B, Pogun S. Nicotinic Cholinergic System in the Hypothalamus Modulates the Activity of the Hypothalamic Neuropeptides During the Stress Response. Curr Neuropharmacol 2018; 16:371-387. [PMID: 28730966 PMCID: PMC6018196 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x15666170720092442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Revised: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The hypothalamus harbors high levels of cholinergic neurons and axon terminals. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, which play an important role in cholinergic neurotransmission, are expressed abundantly in the hypothalamus. Accumulating evidence reveals a regulatory role for nicotine in the regulation of the stress responses. The present review will discuss the hypothalamic neuropeptides and their interaction with the nicotinic cholinergic system. The anatomical distribution of the cholinergic neurons, axon terminals and nicotinic receptors in discrete hypothalamic nuclei will be described. The effect of nicotinic cholinergic neurotransmission and nicotine exposure on hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis regulation at the hypothalamic level will be analyzed in view of the different neuropeptides involved. METHODS Published research related to nicotinic cholinergic regulation of the HPA axis activity at the hypothalamic level is reviewed. RESULTS The nicotinic cholinergic system is one of the major modulators of the HPA axis activity. There is substantial evidence supporting the regulation of hypothalamic neuropeptides by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. However, most of the studies showing the nicotinic regulation of hypothalamic neuropeptides have employed systemic administration of nicotine. Additionally, we know little about the nicotinic receptor distribution on neuropeptide-synthesizing neurons in the hypothalamus and the physiological responses they trigger in these neurons. CONCLUSION Disturbed functioning of the HPA axis and hypothalamic neuropeptides results in pathologies such as depression, anxiety disorders and obesity, which are common and significant health problems. A better understanding of the nicotinic regulation of hypothalamic neuropeptides will aid in drug development and provide means to cope with these diseases. Considering that nicotine is also an abused substance, a better understanding of the role of the nicotinic cholinergic system on the HPA axis will aid in developing improved therapeutic strategies for smoking cessation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Burcu Balkan
- Center for Brain Research, Ege University, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey.,Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Ege University, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Sakire Pogun
- Center for Brain Research, Ege University, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey
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Zhang KM, Zhao GY, Zhang BB, Xu Q, Chu CP, Jin H, Qiu DL. Nicotine enhances GABAergic inhibition of oxytocin mRNA-expressing neuron in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus in vitro in rats. Neurosci Lett 2016; 638:5-11. [PMID: 27923665 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2016] [Revised: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 12/02/2016] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
We recently found that extracellular administration of nicotine indirectly excited hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA-expressing neurons. In this study, we studied the effect of nicotine on PVN oxytocin (OT) mRNA-expressing neuron in vitro in rats, by whole-cell patch-clamp recording technique, immunohistochemistry methods and single-cell reverse-transcription multiplex polymerase chain reaction (SC-RT-mPCR) methods Our results showed that 79.3% (73/92) of the 92 PVN putative magnocellular neurons co-expressed GAPDH mRNA and OT mRNA. Under current-clamp recording conditions, local micro application of nicotine (1-300μM) induced a decrease in spontaneous firing rate accompanied with a hyperpolarization of membrane potential in 76.7% (56/73) of PVN OT mRNA-expressing magnocellular neurons. The nicotine induced inhibition in spontaneous activity of PVN OT mRNA-expressing magnocellular neurons was dose-dependent. The half-inhibitory concentration (IC50) is 2.9μM. The nicotine induced hyperpolarization of PVN OT mRNA-expressing magnocellular neurons was sensitive to GABAA receptor antagonist, SR95531 (10μM) and tetrodotoxin (TTX, 1μM). In addition, local micro application of nicotine induced a significant increase in frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (sIPSPs), but without changes in the sEPSPs amplitude of the OT-mRNA expressing neurons. Biocytin staining confirmed that the nicotine-sensitive OT-mRNA expressing neurons were the PVN magnocellular neurons. These results demonstrated that nicotine enhances the GABAergic inhibition, resulting in a decrease in spontaneous firing rate of the PVN OT-mRNA expressing neurons. These findings suggested that nicotine modulated PVN OT secretion via enhancement of both presynaptic action potential drive and quantal GABA release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke-Min Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Function and Pharmacology of Jilin Province, Yanbian University, Yanji City, Jilin Province, 133002, China; Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, College of Medicine, Yanbian University, Yanji City, Jilin Province, China
| | - Guo-Yan Zhao
- Department of physiology, Jilin Medical College, Jilin City, Jinlin Province, China
| | - Bin-Bin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Function and Pharmacology of Jilin Province, Yanbian University, Yanji City, Jilin Province, 133002, China; Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, College of Medicine, Yanbian University, Yanji City, Jilin Province, China
| | - Qi Xu
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Function and Pharmacology of Jilin Province, Yanbian University, Yanji City, Jilin Province, 133002, China
| | - Chun-Ping Chu
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Function and Pharmacology of Jilin Province, Yanbian University, Yanji City, Jilin Province, 133002, China
| | - Hua Jin
- Department of Nephrology, Affiliated Hospital of Yanbian University, Yanji City, Jilin Province, China.
| | - De-Lai Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Function and Pharmacology of Jilin Province, Yanbian University, Yanji City, Jilin Province, 133002, China; Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, College of Medicine, Yanbian University, Yanji City, Jilin Province, China.
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