New compounds may treat both alcohol and cigarette addictions

Researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco, and US drugs behemoth Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), have determined that two new compounds may be effective in treating both alcohol and nicotine dependence at the same time.

In a paper published in the November 3, 2010, issue of Neuropsychopharmacology, the researchers showed that alcohol consumption in rodents was significantly decreased by two compounds that target neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtype 34.

nAChRs are proteins found in the brain and broader central nervous system that mediate the effects of substances such as nicotine. Recent human genetic studies have shown that the genes encoding the 34 subtype are of significant importance for susceptibility to both alcohol and nicotine dependence.