Around 10 lakh people dies in India because of smoking. Almost all people who smokes want to quit smoking but many of them fails to overcome the nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
Smokers trying to quit face potent side effects from nicotine withdrawal, including cravings, increased appetite, restlessness, anxiety, irritability, and depression. Even though they may want to quit, many smokers continue to smoke simply because the experience is so unpleasant.
A new research reveals that commonly used drugs to treat type II diabetes help to overcome the characteristic signs of nicotine withdrawal in rats and mice. The results of the study were published in the ‘Journal of Neuroscience 2019’.
The diabetes drug, ‘pioglitazone’, targets a specific form of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors in the nucleus. This receptor, PPARg, is found in areas of the brain involved in drug addiction.
Domi et al. demonstrated that direct injections of pioglitazone into the hippocampi of male mice reduced the signs of physical nicotine withdrawal, including paw tremors, chattering, and head shakes. Injecting pioglitazone into the amygdala of male mice ameliorated signs of anxiety associated with nicotine withdrawal.
The researchers suggest pioglitazone may help diabetic smokers quit by lessening the physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms while reducing insulin resistance.
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