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Parida S, MacLean RR, Gueorguieva R, Sofuoglu M. Pulsed nicotine infusions as a model for smoking: validating a tool to explore nicotine thresholds in humans. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024; 241:1915-1922. [PMID: 38970644 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-024-06609-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
RATIONALE No previous studies examined the discriminative stimulus effects of intravenous (IV) nicotine in humans. OBJECTIVES To evaluate a pulsed IV nicotine infusion procedure designed to mimic inhaled nicotine delivery and to identify a range of nicotine doses that may capture the threshold doses for the subjective and discriminative stimulus effects of nicotine. By determining these thresholds, we can gain valuable insights into the addictive threshold of nicotine. METHODS Eleven participants had 2 Test Sessions following overnight abstinence from smoking. Test Session 1 examined participants' ability to discriminate 0.1 mg nicotine/pulse nicotine from saline. Test Session 2 examined if participants can discriminate 0.05, 0.025, and 0.0125 mg nicotine/pulse of nicotine from saline. These nicotine doses were delivered as a cluster of 4 pulsed-nicotine infusions of 2-second duration with a 28-second interval between each pulse. RESULTS The lowest doses of nicotine that produced greater responses than saline for discrimination, subjective effects, and heart rate ranged from 0.05 to 0.1 mg nicotine/pulse. CONCLUSIONS These findings support the validity of our pulsed-infusion procedure as a model for nicotine delivery by smoking and its utility in examining factors that may impact the addictive threshold of nicotine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suprit Parida
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - R Ross MacLean
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ralitza Gueorguieva
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Mehmet Sofuoglu
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Ave., 151D, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA.
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Kolli AR, Veljkovic E, Calvino-Martin F, Esposito M, Kuczaj AK, Koumal O, Rose JE, Peitsch MC. Nicotine flux and pharmacokinetics-based considerations for early assessment of nicotine delivery systems. DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE REPORTS 2024; 11:100245. [PMID: 38948427 PMCID: PMC11214420 DOI: 10.1016/j.dadr.2024.100245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
In the past few years, technological advancements enabled the development of novel electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). Several empirical measures such as "nicotine flux" are being proposed to evaluate the abuse liability potential of these products. We explored the applicability of nicotine flux for clinical nicotine pharmacokinetics (PK) and 52-week quit success from cigarettes for a wide range of existing nicotine delivery systems. We found that the differences in nicotine flux for various nicotine delivery systems are not related to changes in PK, as nicotine flux does not capture key physiological properties such as nicotine absorption rate. Further, the 52-week quit success and abuse liability potential of nicotine nasal sprays (high nicotine flux product), and nicotine inhalers (nicotine flux similar to ENDS) are low, suggesting that nicotine flux is a poor metric for the assessment of nicotine delivery systems. PK indices are more dependable for characterizing nicotine delivery systems, and a nicotine plasmaC max T max > 1 could improve 52-week quit success from cigarettes. However, a single metric may be inadequate to fully assess the abuse liability potential of nicotine delivery systems and needs to be further studied. A combination of in vitro and in silico approaches could potentially address the factors influencing the inhaled aerosol dosimetry and resulting PK of nicotine to provide early insights for ENDS assessments. Further research is required to understand nicotine dosimetry and PK for ad libitum product use, and abuse liability indicators of nicotine delivery systems. This commentary is intended to (1) highlight the need to think beyond a single empirical metric such as nicotine flux, (2) suggest potential PK-based metrics, (3) suggest the use of in vitro and in silico tools to obtain early insights into inhaled aerosol dosimetry for ENDS, and (4) emphasize the importance of considering comprehensive clinical pharmacology outcomes to evaluate nicotine delivery systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya R. Kolli
- PMI R&D, Philip Morris Products S.A., Quai Jeanrenaud 5, Neuchâtel CH-2000, Switzerland
| | - Emilija Veljkovic
- PMI R&D, Philip Morris Products S.A., Quai Jeanrenaud 5, Neuchâtel CH-2000, Switzerland
| | | | - Marco Esposito
- PMI R&D, Philip Morris Products S.A., Quai Jeanrenaud 5, Neuchâtel CH-2000, Switzerland
| | - Arkadiusz K. Kuczaj
- PMI R&D, Philip Morris Products S.A., Quai Jeanrenaud 5, Neuchâtel CH-2000, Switzerland
| | - Ondrej Koumal
- PMI R&D, Philip Morris Products S.A., Quai Jeanrenaud 5, Neuchâtel CH-2000, Switzerland
| | - Jed E. Rose
- Rose Research Center, 7240 ACC Blvd., Raleigh, NC 27617, USA
| | - Manuel C. Peitsch
- PMI R&D, Philip Morris Products S.A., Quai Jeanrenaud 5, Neuchâtel CH-2000, Switzerland
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Manza P, Tomasi D, Shokri-Kojori E, Zhang R, Kroll D, Feldman D, McPherson K, Biesecker C, Dennis E, Johnson A, Yuan K, Wang WT, Yonga MV, Wang GJ, Volkow ND. Neural circuit selective for fast but not slow dopamine increases in drug reward. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6408. [PMID: 37938560 PMCID: PMC10632365 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41972-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The faster a drug enters the brain, the greater its addictive potential, yet the brain circuits underlying the rate dependency to drug reward remain unresolved. With simultaneous PET-fMRI we linked dynamics of dopamine signaling, brain activity/connectivity, and self-reported 'high' in 20 adults receiving methylphenidate orally (results in slow delivery) and intravenously (results in fast delivery) (trial NCT03326245). We estimated speed of striatal dopamine increases to oral and IV methylphenidate and then tested where brain activity was associated with slow and fast dopamine dynamics (primary endpoint). We then tested whether these brain circuits were temporally associated with individual 'high' ratings to methylphenidate (secondary endpoint). A corticostriatal circuit comprising the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and insula and their connections with dorsal caudate was activated by fast (but not slow) dopamine increases and paralleled 'high' ratings. These data provide evidence in humans for a link between dACC/insula activation and fast but not slow dopamine increases and document a critical role of the salience network in drug reward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Manza
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Dardo Tomasi
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ehsan Shokri-Kojori
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Rui Zhang
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Danielle Kroll
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Dana Feldman
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Katherine McPherson
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Catherine Biesecker
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Evan Dennis
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Allison Johnson
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kai Yuan
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710071, PR China
| | - Wen-Tung Wang
- Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Michele-Vera Yonga
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Gene-Jack Wang
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nora D Volkow
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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Development of pulsed intravenous nicotine infusions as a model for inhaled nicotine in humans. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:2809-2818. [PMID: 35554617 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06162-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Although nicotine from cigarettes is delivered in puff-sized amounts, most preclinical and human intravenous (IV) nicotine studies have used bolus or continuous infusions. OBJECTIVES To determine the feasibility of a pulsed-nicotine infusion model in smokers. METHODS Following overnight abstinence, 12 adult smokers underwent 5 laboratory sessions. Using a crossover design, in each session, participants were assigned to 1 of 5 conditions: (1) high/fast: 1.0 mg nicotine delivered over 5 pulsed-infusions, then 15 saline infusions; (2) high/slow: 1.0 mg nicotine delivered over 20 pulsed-infusions; (3) low/fast: 0.2 mg nicotine delivered over 5 pulsed-infusions, then 15 saline infusions; (4) low/slow: 0.2 mg nicotine delivered over 20 pulsed-infusions; and (5) placebo: Saline delivered over 20 pulsed-infusions. Subjective drug effects, urges to smoke, nicotine withdrawal, and cognitive performance were measured in each session. RESULTS Both the high/fast and high/slow conditions were associated with greater "head rush" and "high" (p < 0.05). The high/fast condition also provided greater suppression of urges to smoke and nicotine withdrawal (p < 0.05), indexed by the Questionnaire of Urges to Smoke-Brief, and the Minnesota Nicotine Withdrawal Scale, respectively. The high/fast and high/slow conditions produced greater increases in heart rate (p < 0.01) than saline. Finally, there were no main effects of dosing conditions on cognitive performance, indexed by the continuous performance test. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate the feasibility of pulsed-nicotine infusions to model nicotine delivery by smoking. This model could inform future studies testing novel smoking cessation therapies and tobacco regulatory studies testing the impact of nicotine reduction approaches.
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