Effect of Smoking and Nicotine on Adrenocortical Secretion

The effect of tobacco smoking and nicotine administration on the secretory activity of the adrenal cortex was studied in man and in animals. In eight human subjects, there was a 27% to 77% rise in plasma 11-hydroxycorticosteroid (11-OHCS) concentrations after heavy cigarette smoking, compared to a normal diurnal fall during control observations with no smoking. In anesthetized dogs, nicotine administered intravenously resulted in a 64% rise in plasma corticosteroids. In rats, plasma corticosteroids concentrations increased 58% after intraperitoneal administration of nicotine, accompanied by an increase in the corticoid content of the adrenal glands and a decrease in their cholesterol content. It is suggested that this stimulation of adrenocortical activity is due to enhanced corticotropin release resulting from a nicotine-induced increase in sympathetic and catecholamine activity. Because of the physiological and pathological importance of adrenocortical hormones, their broad use as therapeutic agents, and their relationship to lipoprotein synthesis, the effect of cigarette smoking on adrenocortical secretion must be seriously regarded.