Poster Sessions

CANCER-26

Colleen Maier

C. Maier, M.C. Hollander, P. Dennis

Nicotine Enhances the Effect of Carcinogen-induced Lung Cancer

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is a popular and effective regiment for the cessation of smoking. However, the effect of nicotine administration on normal lung tissue following smoking exposure has not been fully explored. Initial research shows nicotine increases important oncogene survival pathways such as p-Akt, Survivin, XIAP, VEGF and p-Erk in normal human bronchial epithelium and lung cancer cell lines. These results suggest nicotine could stimulate nascent lung cancer growth or contribute to tumorigenesis. NNK (4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone) is a common tobacco carcinogen that is a causative agent for K-ras mutant-driven lung adenocarcinomas and is often used to study lung tumorigenesis in animal models. We simulated a former smoker using NRT in mice by administering NNK intraperitoneal then adding nicotine to their drinking water. Our results show that nicotine given after NNK administration increases the incidence of lung adenocarcinomas and the protein expression levels of p-Akt and Survivin. These results suggest nicotine could have harmful effects when used after tobacco cessation.