effect of nicotine on lung s- adenosylmethionine and the development of pneumocystis pneumonia by...
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Effect of Nicotine on Lung S-Adenosylmethionine and the Development of Pneumocystis Pneumonia
By Mehboob Shivji, Suzanna Burger, Camilo Andres Moncada, Allen B.
Clarkson, Jr., and Salim Merali
Explanation of the Title
The title means that the study is on the relationship of nicotine and S-Adenosylmethionine and how it effects pneumocystis pneumonia
S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe)
This compound is also known as SAMe or AdoMet for short.
SAMe is involved in many functions throughout the body: formation of joint cartilage and neuron maintenance.
This molecule is so critical to survival that almost all the organisms in the world need it
Pneumocystis Carinii
This organism is a yeast-like fungus.
This particular species exclusively infects humans and not other animals.
This organism requires SAMe to survive, but it cannot synthesize it
Pnuemocystis Carnii cysts
Pneumocystis Carinii (cont.)
Since this organism cannot synthesize SAMe, it must scavenge it from the host.
This organism can deplete up to 98% of the hosts’ blood SAMe levels.
Life Cycle of Pneumocystis Carinii
Nicotine
It is a stimulant found in tobacco and the nightshade plants.
It is extremely addictive Nicotine can affect the CNS and the
cardiovascular adversely It is widely known as an anti-inflammatory
agent.
Materials and Methods
The materials in this experiment includes ultrapure AdoMet, pathogen free rats and a culture sample of Pneumocystis Carinii.
The rats were treated with drugs to prevent any latent PCP infection.
The rats then were infected with PCP and was divided into experimental and control groups.
Results
The plasma SAMe levels of were unchanged However, lung SAMe levels of nicotine
treated mice were very low compared to the control group.
Discussion
These new findings on nicotine may be used to develop drugs to combat PCP.
However, this study was done on mice and scientists have no idea whether this works the same way in humans.
Another finding is that PCP cannot effectively draw SAMe from host cells directly.
Conclusion
Nicotine is able to increase lung metabolism of SAMe
Nicotine can effectively reduce PCP infections
Further Experiments
Mimic the mechanism of action of nicotine in the lungs
Try to conduct the experiment among smokers
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