title: Critical needs in drug discovery for cessation of alcohol and nicotine polysubstance abuse.
abstract: Polysubstance abuse of alcohol and nicotine has been overlooked in our understanding of the neurobiology of addiction and especially in the development of novel therapeutics for its treatment. Estimates show that as many as 92% of people with alcohol use disorders also smoke tobacco. The health risks associated with both excessive alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking create an urgent biomedical need for the discovery of effective cessation treatments, as opposed to current approaches that attempt to independently treat each abused agent. The lack of treatment approaches for alcohol and nicotine abuse/dependence mirrors a similar lack of research in the neurobiology of polysubstance abuse. This review discusses three critical needs in medications development for alcohol and nicotine co-abuse: (1) the need for a better understanding of the clinical condition (i.e. alcohol and nicotine polysubstance abuse), (2) the need to better understand how these drugs interact in order to identify new targets for therapeutic development and (3) the need for animal models that better mimic this human condition. Current and emerging treatments available for the cessation of each drug and their mechanisms of action are discussed within this context followed by what is known about the pharmacological interactions of alcohol and nicotine. Much has been and will continue to be gained from studying comorbid alcohol and nicotine exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Van Skike
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States.
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Maggio
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States; Center for Drug Abuse and Research Translation, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States; Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Bardo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States; Center for Drug Abuse and Research Translation, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States.
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Dwoskin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States; Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Prendergast
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States; Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States. Electronic address: kim-nixon@uky.edu.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nixon
mesh_terms: D000427:Alcohol Deterrents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D015897:Comorbidity; D055808:Drug Discovery; D004347:Drug Interactions; D006801:Humans; D061485:Tobacco Use Cessation Devices; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000427:Alcohol Deterrents
keywords: Alcohol; Alcoholism; Nicotine; Pharmacotherapy; Polysubstance abuse; Smoking