Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death worldwide and tobacco addiction has become a serious public health problem. Nicotine is the main addictive component of tobacco, and the majority of people that smoke regularly develop nicotine dependence. Nicotine addiction is deemed to be a chronic mental disorder. Although it is well known that nicotine binds to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and activates the mesolimbic dopaminergic system (MDS) to generate the pleasant and rewarding effects, the molecular mechanisms of nicotine addiction are not fully understood. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the most prevalent growth factor in the brain, which regulates neuron survival, differentiation, and synaptic plasticity, mainly through binding to the high affinity receptor tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB). BDNF gene polymorphisms are associated with nicotine dependence and blood BDNF levels are altered in smokers. In this review, we discussed the effects of nicotine on BDNF expression in the brain and summarized the underlying signaling pathways, which further indicated BDNF as a key regulator in nicotine dependence. Further studies that aim to understand the neurobiological mechanism of BDNF in nicotine addcition would provide a valuable reference for quitting smoking and developing the treatment of other addictive substances.

中文翻译：

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BDNF 和尼古丁依赖：关联和潜在机制。


吸烟是全世界可预防的主要死亡原因，烟草成瘾已成为一个严重的公共卫生问题。尼古丁是烟草的主要成瘾成分，大多数经常吸烟的人都会产生尼古丁依赖。尼古丁成瘾被认为是一种慢性精神障碍。尽管众所周知，尼古丁与烟碱乙酰胆碱受体（nAChR）结合并激活中脑边缘多巴胺能系统（MDS）以产生令人愉快和有益的效果，但尼古丁成瘾的分子机制尚不完全清楚。脑源性神经营养因子 (BDNF) 是大脑中最常见的生长因子，主要通过与高亲和力受体酪氨酸激酶受体 B (TrkB) 结合来调节神经元存活、分化和突触可塑性。 BDNF基因多态性与尼古丁依赖有关，吸烟者血液中 BDNF 水平发生改变。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了尼古丁对大脑中 BDNF 表达的影响，并总结了潜在的信号通路，这进一步表明 BDNF 是尼古丁依赖的关键调节因子。旨在了解 BDNF 在尼古丁成瘾中的神经生物学机制的进一步研究将为戒烟和开发其他成瘾物质的治疗提供有价值的参考。