Does Nicotine Protect From Coronavirus?

Nicotine, a substance found in tobacco, is thought to protect against severe forms of SARS-CoV-2. This is the hypothesis, put forward by several researchers from French institutions, based on confusing figures: there are about 5% of smokers among Covid-19 patients against 25% in the whole French population.

A press release, published jointly by the Academy of Sciences, the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris and Sorbonne University, proposes an astonishing candidate to prevent and cure the Covid-19 : the nicotine.

If associating a disease that causes respiratory distress with nicotine, and therefore with tobacco, seems curious, this hypothesis is based on observations made in Chinese studies, including one published in NEJM, Since the early hours ofepidemic. Smokers are much less represented among Covid-19 patients than in the general population.

Like a lot of scientific work on the Covid-19, it is pre-published, on the Qeios website, and requires peer review. These results should therefore be taken with caution.

Nor does it mean that you have to increase or start smoking consumption, or get nicotine patches to help cure or prevent Covid-19. Smoking is deadly and kills around 73,000 people in France each year, three times more than the epidemic of coronavirus in its current state.

Fewer smokers among Covid-19 patients

Scientists studied the profile of 349 patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and whose condition requires hospitalization and 139 patients, also positive for coronavirus, but whose condition requires only management ambulatory. The patients were followed up at Pitié-Salpêtrière.

Within this cohort5.3% of hospitalized patients, men and women combined, are regular smokers. They are 4.4% among those whose condition was less severe. Against 25.4% of the overall French population.

According to the researchers' hypothesis, which must still be rigorously tested, it is nicotine that protects smokers of Covid-19.

Coronavirus and nicotinic receptor

Nicotine is a alkaloid tobacco extract which binds to the nicotinic receptors (α-1) present in the synapses neuromuscular. It's a antagonist of the'acetylcholine, which naturally attaches to these receptors.

Gold, several clues suggest that SARS-CoV-2 is capable of infecting the central nervous system. " SARS-CoV-2 could spread from mucosa olfactory, then neurons of brainstem, going in some cases to the respiratory centers "Said the press release.

In addition, according to the researchers, protein present on the surface of the virus have grounds similar to those found on the glycoprotein of the virus rage, a virus neurotropic which attaches to the nicotinic receptors of the neuromuscular junction.

Nicotine therefore prevents the fixation of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and limits its progression in the body and the worsening of symptoms. It would also have an effect on the inflammatory response and storm of cytokine so deleterious in severe forms. The macrophages, innate immunity cells secreters of pro-inflammatory cytokines, also have nicotinic receptors (α-7) but different from those of the neuromuscular junction.

Obviously, this story must be supported by further scientific research. If these are only preliminary hypotheses and initial research on the subject, the researchers indicate that clinical studies are underway to assess the impact of nicotine, or other substances that act on the same receptors, on SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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Coronavirus: tomorrow, all masked? SARS-CoV-2. It appeared in China in December 2019. Since then, it has claimed tens of thousands of lives worldwide. To limit the spread of this coronavirus and in the absence of treatment or vaccine, various measures have been devised. Among them, the wearing of a mask.

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