One wonders about the anecdotal evidence regarding the advantages of: 1) 'steeping' and 2) high power vaping - and whether there might be psychopharmacological advantages to oxidation / heat induced changes (beyond improvements in taste).
This paper is interesting : http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/docum.../Sjgh39c00.pdf
For example (there are other oxidation products), although nicotine oxide (cotinine) is the primary metalolite of nicotine, perhaps it enhances the psychopharmacological effects when absorebed together with nicotine (i.e. quickly; or a different / mixed isonomer?). Just maybe, oxidation / degradation can partially 'restore' a pure nicotine effect to a more WTA like effect by the production of other alkaloids that just might be more active than we thought (rather than, say, anatabine, anabasine). With WTA, there are probably a number of elements that are important. But one might be cotinine (in the leaf); and cotinine can also be produced from pure nicotine by oxidation / heat.
An interesting experiment would be to quickly oxidise some e-liquid with, say, a drop of hydrogen peroxide, and subjectively evaluate how it compares when vaped.
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22 Dec 2013
Much of the beneficial (to smokers) effects ascribed to nicotine are more correctly attributable to cotinine, including protection from brain degeneration with age as well as a calming effect (research, what little there is, such as Cotinine: Beyond that Expected, More than a Biomarker of Tobacco Consumption focuses on psychological illnesses (as drug money is the driver in medicine) and the mechanisms are not all clear (neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin being part of the picture).
Although cotinine has a long plasma half-life of some 10 hours (much longer than nicotine), there could be a 'boost' effect from the initial inhalation.
Cotinine does not boost heart-rate like nicotine; it doesn't have those classic physiological stimulant effects, and I'd say it is not one.
On a partial tangent, I'd also like to note something I have been thinking about - that the boost in mental abilities that is thought to be a stimulant effect could well be an effect of increased calm. In terms of attention, it is focused by reducing the amount diverted by anxiety, negative thoughts, ...
One has to laugth at the paper cited above - 'beyond that expected' - 'beyond our stupidly myopic assumptions' would be more honest. While not necessarily (inherently) an imperfection of science, the focus on bit A does B and bit C does D over-simplification is a major flaw in the way that science is commonly practiced.
In summary, what part might cotinine play in WTA - best guess: somewhere between 20 and 80%. In 'steeping', it is likely to play a bigger role.
++++++++++++++++++
(some hours later)
Something of an a-ha moment : why is vaping more successful than traditional NRT? - because it converts some (~30% ?) of the nicotine to cotinine (see initial headline image of this blog entry).
The existing literature lists cotinine as more minor in effects but I am leaning to this being wrong - it is more than minor, and somehow it is important that the initial inhalation contain significant cotinine (rather than cotine produced by metalism of nicotine); why, I don't know atm. Likely either the form of the cotinine or the rate of change of concentration. Will research in future show cotinine to be a MAOI ?
Oxidised e-liquid (it will happen at vape time anyway) DOES matter - but in a POSITIVE way
This paper is interesting : http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/docum.../Sjgh39c00.pdf
For example (there are other oxidation products), although nicotine oxide (cotinine) is the primary metalolite of nicotine, perhaps it enhances the psychopharmacological effects when absorebed together with nicotine (i.e. quickly; or a different / mixed isonomer?). Just maybe, oxidation / degradation can partially 'restore' a pure nicotine effect to a more WTA like effect by the production of other alkaloids that just might be more active than we thought (rather than, say, anatabine, anabasine). With WTA, there are probably a number of elements that are important. But one might be cotinine (in the leaf); and cotinine can also be produced from pure nicotine by oxidation / heat.
An interesting experiment would be to quickly oxidise some e-liquid with, say, a drop of hydrogen peroxide, and subjectively evaluate how it compares when vaped.
++++++++++++++++++++
22 Dec 2013
Much of the beneficial (to smokers) effects ascribed to nicotine are more correctly attributable to cotinine, including protection from brain degeneration with age as well as a calming effect (research, what little there is, such as Cotinine: Beyond that Expected, More than a Biomarker of Tobacco Consumption focuses on psychological illnesses (as drug money is the driver in medicine) and the mechanisms are not all clear (neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin being part of the picture).
Although cotinine has a long plasma half-life of some 10 hours (much longer than nicotine), there could be a 'boost' effect from the initial inhalation.
Cotinine does not boost heart-rate like nicotine; it doesn't have those classic physiological stimulant effects, and I'd say it is not one.
On a partial tangent, I'd also like to note something I have been thinking about - that the boost in mental abilities that is thought to be a stimulant effect could well be an effect of increased calm. In terms of attention, it is focused by reducing the amount diverted by anxiety, negative thoughts, ...
One has to laugth at the paper cited above - 'beyond that expected' - 'beyond our stupidly myopic assumptions' would be more honest. While not necessarily (inherently) an imperfection of science, the focus on bit A does B and bit C does D over-simplification is a major flaw in the way that science is commonly practiced.
In summary, what part might cotinine play in WTA - best guess: somewhere between 20 and 80%. In 'steeping', it is likely to play a bigger role.
++++++++++++++++++
(some hours later)
Something of an a-ha moment : why is vaping more successful than traditional NRT? - because it converts some (~30% ?) of the nicotine to cotinine (see initial headline image of this blog entry).
The existing literature lists cotinine as more minor in effects but I am leaning to this being wrong - it is more than minor, and somehow it is important that the initial inhalation contain significant cotinine (rather than cotine produced by metalism of nicotine); why, I don't know atm. Likely either the form of the cotinine or the rate of change of concentration. Will research in future show cotinine to be a MAOI ?
Oxidised e-liquid (it will happen at vape time anyway) DOES matter - but in a POSITIVE way
