Nicotine metabolism in mammals

Over the past decade studies on nicotine metabolism have been advanced by use of new methods involving enzyme purification, preparation of specific antibodies and HPLC. In in vivo experiments of nicotine metabolism, a number of new metabolites have been identified, and most major and minor metabolites have been quantitatively determined, which make it now possible to investigate the contribution of each pathway to overall nicotine metabolism. In in vitro experiments, C-oxidation and N-oxidation have been precisely characterized. Despite extensive investigations, metabolic regulation of nicotine metabolism still remains unclear.