Research Progress in the Development of Nicotine as a Medicine

Most of the various chemicals produced during smoking are harmful to health. Nicotine, the major substance that leads to smoking addiction, can easily penetrate blood-brain-barrier and produce various effects on the nervous system. In recent years, it has been discovered that nicotine has the potential to be developed into a medicine. Epidemiological studies have shown that the incidence of some major diseases including inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases in smokers is much lower than in non-smokers. This paper discussed the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects of nicotine in the pathogenesis and progression of some diseases, providing important theoretical evidence for the development of nicotine into medicine.