Nicotine inside neurons

The crucial effects of chronic nicotine exposure are intracellular and include a cell-specific influence on the assembly and stoichiometry of the nAChRs exported to the plasma membrane, that affects the function of surface nAChRs and cholinergic transmission. In this context, it is worthwhile to consider extraneuronal tissues, especially where nicotine may reach much higher concentrations such as the lung epithelia. Many peripheral cell types and tissues express nAChR subunit transcripts, that may play crucial roles in signal transduction underlying tumor initiation or growth