Wolkowicz Noah R, Parida Suprit, Gueorguieva Ralitza, Sofuoglu Mehmet
Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America; VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States of America.
Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America; VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States of America.
Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2025 Apr;249:173985. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2025.173985. Epub 2025 Feb 24.
Limited research exists on how switching from menthol to non-menthol cigarettes affects the acute response to nicotine for individuals who smoke menthol cigarettes. Such research can inform public health strategies to reduce smoking prevalence.
This study investigated whether switching from menthol to non-menthol cigarettes for two weeks alters the acute responses to intravenous nicotine infusions delivered at different rates. We assessed changes in subjective drug effects, smoking urges, withdrawal severity, heart rate, and performance on the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) (primary outcomes); as well as nicotine biomarker blood levels (ng/ml) of nicotine, cotinine, and nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR; hydroxycotinine/cotinine), and cigarette consumption (secondary outcomes).
Sixteen menthol-preferring individuals who smoke cigarettes were randomized to a sequence of menthol or non-menthol cigarette smoking conditions for 2 weeks (Phase 1) and then switched to the other condition for another 2 weeks (Phase 2). During week 2 of each phase, an experimental session was held. During the experimental sessions, participants were given a total of 3 infusions, one saline and two nicotine infusions delivered at different rates (1 mg nicotine delivered over 2.5- and 5-min). Each infusion period lasted 10 min, with saline administered for the remainder of the time after the 2.5- and 5-min nicotine infusions. Following the first session, participants crossed over to the other smoking condition.
Switching to non-menthol cigarettes led to a decrease in daily cigarette smoking (p < .05). However, this switch did not appear to affect the severity of tobacco withdrawal, urges to smoke, or the subjective and heart rate responses to IV nicotine administration (p > .05).
These findings suggest that switching from menthol to non-menthol cigarettes is feasible without significantly altering the individual's response to nicotine. Further, there may be a potential public health benefit through reduced cigarette consumption.
关于从薄荷醇香烟改用非薄荷醇香烟如何影响吸薄荷醇香烟者对尼古丁的急性反应，现有研究有限。此类研究可为降低吸烟率的公共卫生策略提供信息。
本研究调查了从薄荷醇香烟改用非薄荷醇香烟两周是否会改变对不同速率静脉注射尼古丁的急性反应。我们评估了主观药物效应、吸烟欲望、戒断严重程度、心率以及连续性能测试（CPT）表现的变化（主要结局）；以及尼古丁生物标志物血液中尼古丁、可替宁水平（ng/ml）和尼古丁代谢物比率（NMR；羟基可替宁/可替宁）以及香烟消费量的变化（次要结局）。
16名偏好薄荷醇香烟的吸烟者被随机分配到薄荷醇或非薄荷醇香烟吸烟条件序列中，为期2周（第1阶段），然后切换到另一种条件再持续2周（第2阶段）。在每个阶段的第2周，进行一次实验环节。在实验环节中，参与者共接受3次输注，一次生理盐水输注和两次不同速率的尼古丁输注（分别在2.5分钟和5分钟内输注1毫克尼古丁）。每个输注期持续10分钟，在2.5分钟和5分钟尼古丁输注后，其余时间给予生理盐水。在第一次实验后，参与者交叉到另一种吸烟条件。
改用非薄荷醇香烟导致每日吸烟量减少（p <.05）。然而，这种转变似乎并未影响烟草戒断的严重程度、吸烟欲望或对静脉注射尼古丁的主观和心率反应（p >.05）。
这些发现表明，从薄荷醇香烟改用非薄荷醇香烟是可行的，且不会显著改变个体对尼古丁的反应。此外，通过减少香烟消费可能会带来潜在的公共卫生益处。
