Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/550331
tobaccoasia 65 proteins to be used in experimental medicines. The idea behind this process is to infiltrate the genetic blueprints for a particular protein into a plant and let the plant produce the proteins necessary. The protein can then be extracted from plant tissues. In fact, nicotine, the most well-known "active ingredient" of tobacco, is one of the most studied drugs in the world. Indeed, the first neurotransmitter receptor identified at the begin- ning of last century was the nicotine receptor. Nicotine mimics the actions of acetylcholine and has been shown to modulate many neurotransmitters. This means that it could be used in the treatment of mental illness. According to Ovid Pomerleau, Ph.D., director of the behavioral medicine program, University of Michigan and president of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, "nicotine has long been a useful tool for researchers interested in probing the nervous system. Although the health risks associ- ated with its intake via tobacco products has tended to tarnish society's view of nicotine, it is important to recognize that nicotine may have therapeutic potential with a number of disease states." New and rather fascinating scientific data suggest that very low doses of nicotine can have a profound therapeutic effect on control- ling the symptoms of Tourette's syndrome, the infamous neurologic disorder characterized by tics and uncontrollable vocal outbursts often filled with obscenities. Dr. Robert Freedman, who works at the de- partment of psychiatry at the University of Colora- do also says there is research that indicates nicotine can normalize some of the psychophysiological deficits seen in patients with schizophrenia, which may explain the high instances of smoking among schizophrenic patients and could lead to novel therapeutic approaches. A study published in the Journal of the Ameri- can Medical Association showed that nicotine has a short term normalization effect on the electrical activity in the brain and people who suffer from such mental disorders as ADHD/ADD, schizo- phrenia, Alzheimer's, and dementia may actually benefit from smoking. In 2011, researchers at the University of Loui- siana at Monroe (ULM) made headlines when they discovered anticancer compounds in seemingly the most unlikely of places — tobacco leaves. Khalid El Sayed, an associate professor of me- dicinal chemistry at the ULM College of Pharma- cy, and ULM colleagues Paul Sylvester and Girish Shah received a patent for their discovery of anti- cancer compounds in fresh tobacco leaves from the US Patent and Trademark Office. According to professor El Sayed, "The leaf and flower of the tobacco plant contain high amounts