Vitamin A and its natural and synthetic derivatives called retinoids have been shown to have a protective effect against tobacco-caused lung cancer but this effect is suppressed by nicotine, according to researchers at the Burnham Institute in La Jolla, California.
Researchers analyzed human lung cancer cells that were treated with a variety of retinoids and found that nicotine inhibited the protective action of the retinoids, according to the study published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Researchers concluded that the inhibition of retinoid activity by nicotine may contribute to the lack of effectiveness of retinoids in cigarette smokers. They also found that some retinoids may be more effective than others in preventing tobacco-linked cancers.
