Next-generation immunotherapeutic strategy and clinical advances of vaccines against nicotine addiction

Abstract

Smoking causes death of millions of people every year. However, available therapies for nicotine addiction are partially effective and exhibit frequent side effects. Thus vaccines targeted at drug nicotine not brain offer a promising strategy to treat nicotine addiction. They cannot pass blood-brain barrier, avoiding serious side effects relevant with central nervous system. The specific nicotine antibody produced by vaccines would convert to complex after combined with nicotine in serum, decreasing or even blocking the distribution of nicotine in brain. This review summarizes the pre-clinical and clinical advances of nicotine vaccines and then addresses future directions of nicotine vaccine and the practical aspects of deployments.