Biochemistry & Pharmacology: Open Access
Open Access

Jie Wu

Publications

• Review Article
  Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in the Ventral Segmental Area are Important Targets for Nicotine and Ethanol Co-dependence
  Author(s): Devin H Taylor, Scott C Steffensen and Jie WuDevin H Taylor, Scott C Steffensen and Jie Wu
  
  Tobacco and alcohol are the most commonly abused drugs. The nicotine (NIC) in tobacco and the ethanol (EtOH) in alcoholic drinks are responsible for their dependence respectively. The magnitude of tobacco smoking is drastically higher among alcoholics, suggesting a NIC-EtOH co-dependence. However, the mechanisms of NIC-EtOH interaction are not fully known, and the clarification of this action is clinically relevant. The majority of the NIC-EtOH interaction utilizes the ventral tegmental area (VTA) through both dopamine (DA) and non-DA systems. EtOH has been shown to bind directly to some nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) as, of course, does NIC. The non-selective/noncompetitive nAChR antagonist mecamylamine (MEC) has been shown to partially block the DA releasing action of EtOH in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), while both the α4β2 nAChR antagonist dihydro-&bet.. View More»
  DOI: 10.4172/2167-0501.S1-002

  Abstract PDF

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