Biologically Active Compounds Present in Tobacco Smoke: Potential Interactions Between Smoking and Mental Health

Sa Weon Hong; Paul Teesdale-Spittle; Rachel Page; Bart Ellenbroek; Penelope Truman

doi:10.3389/fnins.2022.885489

Biologically Active Compounds Present in Tobacco Smoke: Potential Interactions Between Smoking and Mental Health

Front Neurosci. 2022 Apr 26:16:885489. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2022.885489. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Sa Weon Hong¹, Paul Teesdale-Spittle², Rachel Page¹, Bart Ellenbroek³, Penelope Truman¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Health Sciences, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand.
² School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
³ Department of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.

Abstract

Tobacco dependence remains one of the major preventable causes of premature morbidity and mortality worldwide. There are well over 8,000 compounds present in tobacco and tobacco smoke, but we do not know what effect, if any, many of them have on smokers. Major interest has been on nicotine, as well as on toxic and carcinogenic effects and several major and minor components of tobacco smoke responsible for the negative health effects of smoking have been elucidated. Smokers themselves report a variety of positive effects from smoking, including effects on depression, anxiety and mental acuity. Smoking has also been shown to have protective effects in Parkinson's Disease. Are the subjective reports of a positive effect of smoking due to nicotine, of some other components of tobacco smoke, or are they a manifestation of the relief from nicotine withdrawal symptoms that smoking provides? This mini-review summarises what is currently known about the components of tobacco smoke with potential to have positive effects on smokers.

Keywords: Parkinson’s Disease; mental health; monoamine oxidase inhibition; nicotine; tobacco dependence; tobacco smoke components.

Publication types

Review