KUOPIO, Finland, March 19 (UPI) -- A smoking cessation drug being developed slows down the metabolism of nicotine, which would help smokers cut back, researchers in Finland and Canada say.
Principal investigator Hannu Raunio, a professor of pharmacology at the University of Eastern Finland, and colleagues in Canada say nicotine is absorbed rapidly through the lining of the mouth and lungs, where it quickly passes through the body and into the brain.
Once the nicotine reaches the liver, it is metabolized by the enzyme CYP2A6 and preliminary studies by the Canadian partner have shown inhibitors of the nicotine-metabolising CYP2A6 enzyme can help smokers curb the need to smoke.
However, current CYP2A6 inhibitors are not viable options for anti-smoking therapy as they involve too many adverse effects, Raunio says.
"We're working on developing a CYP2A6 inhibitor, a targeted drug that would only be effective in specific parts of the body. Thankfully, we have a very clear picture of the structure of CYP2A6, and we'll be able to use computer-aided modelling methods to design molecules that will bind specifically to the target without disturbing other functions in the body," Raunio says in a statement.
"We have discovered several molecules of an until-now-unknown structure. Along the way, we've gained new insights into how the molecules bind to the active center of the CYP2A6 enzyme. However, it'll take a good while -- and money -- before these molecules can be developed into a targeted drug."
