Understanding Nicotine Addiction: Personalizing Therapy for Smoking Cessation

Healthcare costs associated with smoking remain a persistent healthcare burden globally. Smoking is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. The addictive properties associated with smoking and the accompanying withdrawal symptoms have created a difficult environment for achieving smoking cessation. Nicotine is ubiquitous within tobacco products and is the main driver of addiction. To reduce usage, research has been heavily devoted to the pharmacology of nicotine. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are the main targets of nicotine, and pharmacological cessation therapies have been designed to interfere with this interaction. There are 3 first-line therapies designed for smoking cessation in combination with behavioral support; these include nicotine replacement therapy, varenicline, and bupropion. Despite the availability of these agents, obstacles remain to achieving smoking cessation. These first-line therapies are expensive, have intolerable side effects for some individuals with nonuniform clinical benefits, and are not widely available. In response to this major challenge, there is an ongoing search for alternative therapies. The focus of this review is on cytisine, a smoking cessation aid widely used in eastern and central Europe as an additional tool for healthcare providers.