Understanding nicotine: Introducing the world's second-most-consumed compound

You should have heard of nicotine before, as it is one of the most used compounds in the world. It is legal to use, and there are many ways to consume it. Some of which you may be familiar with are nicotine pouches and snus, for example. These products and where the nicotine is sourced are detailed below. The substance's longevity in the body and its unsavory adverse effects are mentioned, too

What is nicotine?

Nicotine is an addictive chemical compound found within the tobacco plant. It is a naturally produced alkaloid, a nitrogen-containing organic substance, and a toxin to certain herbivores, which is why nicotine was used as an insecticide in the past. Today, many use it recreationally due to its stimulatory properties, in differing forms detailed below.

Where does nicotine come from?

Nicotine occurs naturally in a variety of different plants. It is not something that we have created. However, after the ability to isolate the compound and study its chemical structure, it can now be produced synthetically, too. But what plants contain nicotine?

• Tobacco
• Nightshade family - tomatoes, aubergines, and potatoes

It will be of no surprise that nicotine is found in tobacco, but tomatoes and potatoes will be. The levels of nicotine in the nightshade plants are far lower than tobacco. Hence, no one is addicted to potatoes.

Isolating nicotine from the tobacco plant

Believe it or not, nicotine was first isolated from the tobacco plant in 1828 by Posselt and Reimann. This process and its efficacy has evolved over the years into a 3-step process detailed below.

1. Filtration
2. Solvent Extraction
3. Crystallization

Instead of this lengthy and time-consuming process, a better method of harvesting nicotine has been produced - creating it from scratch.

How is nicotine synthetically made?

Synthetic nicotine is nicotine that doesn’t come from the tobacco leaf. It has the same effects as tobacco-derived nicotine, detailed below. Synthetic nicotine is made by:

Nicotinic Acid (Vitamin B3) is put through a series of chemical reactions until nicotine is formed.

The reason for the lack of precision in the description is that different companies keep their methods under patent, allowing them to keep this information private.

How is nicotine used?

Over the years, nicotine use has broadened due to the amount of nicotine-containing products available. Tobacco products were the origin of nicotine use. As we have developed scientifically, new methods have been created, producing nicotine free from tobacco. Why? The growing scientific research into the adverse effects of tobacco consumption.

These products can be smoked, placed under your lip, like snus, on your skin, or chewed. It depends on which product you use. Some of these products are described further on.

Tobacco containing products

Tobacco-containing products are the original nicotine-containing usable. Even though the volume of their use is decreasing, like cigarettes, people still enjoy these products and the experiences offered. Some of these are:

Combustible - cigarettes, cigars, smoking tobacco

Smoke-free - snus, dip, chew

These products are still enjoyed today, like snus, for example. Some more traditional brands, like General Snus, perform better than the newer, more modern branded snus, demonstrating the demographic of snus users.

Tobacco-free products

These are the more modern products that many ex-tobacco users now enjoy due to the harmful effects of tobacco consumption. Moreover, some are used as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to aid users in reducing nicotine consumption, like nicotine patches and gum. Other well-known tobacco-free nicotine products are vapes and nicotine pouches. There are many brands of nicotine pouches, some of which are more popular than others - VELO and On! nicotine pouches.

Nicotines’ effect on the brain: Why is nicotine addictive?

Let's take a deeper dive into the biochemical effects of nicotine when it enters your brain. To begin, whether we smoke a product and inhale the nicotine or use a nicotine pouch and let the nicotine absorb through our gums, nicotine passes cellular barriers to enter our bloodstream. From there, the nicotine crosses our blood-brain barrier and enters our brain. Research shows:

• Nicotine stimulates both acetylcholine neurons and dopaminergic neurons.
• This increases the concentration of acetylcholine and dopamine in the brain, stimulating the brain's pleasure centers.
• This accumulation of “feel good” hormones leads to the brain reducing its number of receptors, leading to an increasing nicotine tolerance.
• This tolerance means more nicotine is required and feeds into the addictiveness of the substance.
• It is also suggested that nicotine reduces the activity of MAO-A and MAO-B, enzymes responsible for dopamine degradation, which will increase the addictiveness of nicotine further.

How long does nicotine stay in your system?

Nicotine is broken down into many products, but the main breakdown product is called cotinine and is used to test for nicotine. How long this stays in your system can differ between users depending on age, genetics, how the nicotine was ingested, sex, and kidney and liver function. For a general guideline, research shows:

For nicotine - 1-3 days

For cotinine - up to 10 days

Nicotine side effects: How to steer clear of them

As well as being addictive, nicotine has other unwanted effects. These effects include headaches, nausea, and hiccups. But why and when do we experience them?

Nicotine side effects occur when too much nicotine is absorbed at once. To avoid this, use a product that contains a nicotine level suited to your nicotine tolerance.

With this in mind, if you’re new to nicotine, use a product with little nicotine, and if you use it regularly, don’t use anything too potent. There’s nothing worse than ruining a nicotine pouch experience.

Is nicotine harmful?

Nicotine is closely associated with cigarettes and tobacco use, and many think that the substance is responsible for the harmful effects of smoking. Although nicotine isn’t a risk-free compound, only in large concentrations will nicotine have serious implications. Nicotine is safe for healthy adults if you use it in the recommended recreational amounts.