THE EFFECTS OF NICOTINE ON THE IMMUNE-SYSTEM

Although considerable work has been done on the potential health effec ts of smoking, little is known about the contribution of nicotine to t hose effects. This paper presents an overview of the immune system, an d a discussion of the existing literature on the effects of tobacco sm oke and nicotine on immunity. Treatment with nicotine has been shown t o influence all aspects of the immune system, including alterations in humoral and cellular immunity. In addition, preliminary data suggest that gender and genetic factors impact on the immunological effects of nicotine. Finally, the possible mechanisms that might mediate the eff ects of nicotine are discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rig hts reserved.