Is loboline a form of synthic nicotine thst is usful for quiting smoking.

Hi winemaker,

Yes, libeline (not liboline) studies (with rats) suggest that lobeline
acts as a nicotinic receptor antagonist. In english that means
libeline fills the same receptors that nicotine does (and is possibly
not bumped out of the receptor in the presence of nicotine), thereby
helping with urges to smoke. The more receptors you can fill with
libeline, the less you will crave to smoke --if you are a rat.

Regardless of the rat studies, libeline research is way beyond that,
many over-the-counter products now contain libeline and are advertised
as anti-tobacco products, and new [libeline based] drugs to help us
quit smoking and help those addicted to methamphetamine will soon be
on the market..

Check this out:

Lobeline: total synthesis and derivitization 
http://www.trdrp.org/research/PageGrant.asp?grant_id=2376
..."Initial Award Abstract 
It is widely understood that quitting smoking is a very difficult and
often unsuccessful endeavor for millions of Americans. While the
psychological aspects of altering ones lifestyle pose significant
barriers to ?kicking the habit?, the intense physiological dependence
of nicotine is also directly responsible for relapse. Lobeline is a
natural product known to mimic the effect of nicotine by interacting
directly with nicotine receptors.

Extracts of lobeline have been formulated and widely used to treat
nicotine withdrawal. Furthermore, the natural product is an effective
treatment for respiratory ailments such as asthma, bronchitis,
pneumonia, and whooping cough..."


Here's 2 rat studies:

Lobeline inhibits nicotine-evoked [3H]dopamine overflow from rat
striatal slices and nicotine-evoked 86Rb+ efflux from thalamic
synaptosomes
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0028-3908(00)00140-4

Lobeline and Nicotine Evoke [3H]Overflow from Rat Striatal Slices
Preloaded with [3H]Dopamine: Differential Inhibition of Synaptosomal
and Vesicular [3H]Dopamine Uptake1
http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/cgi/content/full/280/3/1432


However, the real prize inside libeline might be it's ability to be
used in the treatment of drug addiction, specifically methamphetimine
addiction.

Reference:

Linda Dwoskin: Creating New Treatments for Nicotine and Methamphetamine Abuse
http://www.rgs.uky.edu/odyssey/fall05/urp.html#dwoskin

Linda Dwoskin & Peter Crooks: Some Research Findings to Crow About 
http://www.rgs.uky.edu/odyssey/exclusive/summer03/dwoskin.html
..."But lobeline did not behave like nicotine, so we took a fresh look
at it," says Dwoskin. "We discovered that lobeline acts as a nicotine
antagonist?the opposite of what people had thought." Dwoskin, in
collaboration with Peter Crooks, a medicinal chemist who is also an
endowed professor in UK's College of Pharmacy, and Michael Bardo, a
professor in the Department of Psychology, found that lobeline, in
fact, blocks both the behavioral and neurochemical effects of
methamphetamine, a startling and potentially breakthrough discovery
that could lead to effective drug-abuse treatment.

Crooks, who came to UK from the U.K. (University of Manchester) in
1981, says that their collaboration "is a shining example of how
university pairings can have unexpected but happy results." Crooks had
been working on nicotine for several years when Dwoskin joined the
faculty and "got into nicotine, since Kentucky is a tobacco state and
tobacco is a highly addictive stimulant." This scientific partnership
has led to, among other findings, the discovery of lobeline's actual
chemical role and its potential for treating drug abusers.

Bardo, who has conducted animal behavioral studies with lobeline,
found that when rats that press levers to obtain methamphetamine
intravenously are pre-treated with lobeline, they don't want the drug
anymore. "This was good?and very encouraging?evidence from animal
studies as to the potential therapeutic efficacy of lobeline as a
treatment for methamphetamine abuse," Dwoskin says.

Crooks, who has been involved in various entrepreneurial enterprises
over the last 10 years, says that the next important step was to
patent the idea that lobeline might be an effective treatment for
psychostimulant abuse. "I found it very easy working through UK
intellectual properties to do this," Crooks says. "Getting a patent
always takes longer than you think it ought to, but it's obviously
essential to do this." ..."


I learn something new here, every day... I hope this satisfies your curiousity!


~~Cynthia


Search strategy used at Google:
lobeline nicotine research

The response war exactly what I was looking for. Well done.
Regards,
Dan