Component Of Tobacco Research Articles

Analyses and evaluation of the main chemical components in different tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) genotypes

The nicotine, reducing sugar and ion contents from the threshing of tobacco can re-used from the industry. The crude oil and fatty oil compositions of tobacco seeds can be considered as an alternative source of raw material for biodiesel. In this study, the nicotine, reducing sugar content, crude oil, fatty acid composition and ion content were determined in 29 genotypes and 1 cultivar of tobacco. The genetic diversity was determined among the tobacco cultivar and genotypes base on examined properties. The nicotine content varied between 0.10-0.87%, reducing sugar ranged from 9.70-21.30%, crude oil varied between 24.33-47.00% and fatty acid compositions was found in the range of 77.94-100%. Linoleic (13.92-75.04%) and butyric (0.33-64.98%) acids were the major components. Overall, the BSR-5 (52.56 mg/g) and ESR-5 (44.58 mg/g) genotypes exhibited the highest potassium contents and ESR-7 (6.54 mg/g) and ESR-8 (1.28 mg/g) genotypes had the lowest chlorine contents. As a result of this study, the highest nicotine content, reducing sugar and crude oil of tobacco were found in ESR-4, ESR-11 and BSR-5 genotypes, respectively. The dendrogram analysis divided the tobacco into two main groups and most of the same origin genotypes fell into the same group. The results indicated that the different tobacco leaves and seeds can be evaluated as an alternative source in the industry as cigarettes, biodiesel and different industrial applications such as cosmetic, oil paints and varnishes based on their chemical properties.

Repurposing dextromethorphan and metformin for treating nicotine-induced cancer by directly targeting CHRNA7 to inhibit JAK2/STAT3/SOX2 signaling

Smoking is one of the most impactful lifestyle-related risk factors in many cancer types including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). As the major component of tobacco and e-cigarettes, nicotine is not only responsible for addiction to smoking but also a carcinogen. Here we report that nicotine enhances ESCC cancer malignancy and tumor-initiating capacity by interacting with cholinergic receptor nicotinic alpha 7 subunit (CHRNA7) and subsequently activating the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. We found that aberrant CHRNA7 expression can serve as an independent prognostic factor for ESCC patients. In multiple ESCC mouse models, dextromethorphan and metformin synergistically repressed nicotine-enhanced cancer-initiating cells (CIC) properties and inhibited ESCC progression. Mechanistically, dextromethorphan non-competitively inhibited nicotine binding to CHRNA7 while metformin downregulated CHRNA7 expression by antagonizing nicotine-induced promoter DNA hypomethylation of CHRNA7. Since dextromethorphan and metformin are two safe FDA-approved drugs with minimal undesirable side-effects, the combination of these drugs has a high potential as either a preventive and/or a therapeutic strategy against nicotine-promoted ESCC and perhaps other nicotine-sensitive cancer types as well.

κ-Opioid Signaling in the Lateral Hypothalamic Area Modulates Nicotine-Induced Negative Energy Balance

Several studies have reported that nicotine, the main bioactive component of tobacco, exerts a marked negative energy balance. Apart from its anorectic action, nicotine also modulates energy expenditure, by regulating brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis and white adipose tissue (WAT) browning. These effects are mainly controlled at the central level by modulation of hypothalamic neuropeptide systems and energy sensors, such as AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). In this study, we aimed to investigate the kappa opioid receptor (κOR)/dynorphin signaling in the modulation of nicotine’s effects on energy balance. We found that body weight loss after nicotine treatment is associated with a down-regulation of the κOR endogenous ligand dynorphin precursor and with a marked reduction in κOR signaling and the p70 S6 kinase/ribosomal protein S6 (S6K/rpS6) pathway in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA). The inhibition of these pathways by nicotine was completely blunted in κOR deficient mice, after central pharmacological blockade of κOR, and in rodents where κOR was genetically knocked down specifically in the LHA. Moreover, κOR-mediated nicotine effects on body weight do not depend on orexin. These data unravel a new central regulatory pathway modulating nicotine’s effects on energy balance.

The role of α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in a rat model of chronic nicotine-induced mechanical hypersensitivity

Smokers have a higher incidence of chronic pain than non-smokers, but the neural mechanism is not yet fully understood. Nicotine is the main component of tobacco and acts as an agonist for nicotinic cholinergic receptors (nAChRs) in the nervous system.This study was approved by the IACUC of UM. The effects of chronic nicotine administration on mechanical sensitivity were studied using a rat model. The changes in the expression levels of the α7 isoform of nAChR (α7-nAChR), inflammatory cytokines TNFα and COX-2, as well as the density of neuro-immune cells (astrocytes and microglia) were measured concurrently.The results indicate that long-term nicotine administration induces hypersensitivity to mechanical stimuli, as demonstrated by a significant reduction in the pain perception threshold. In response to nicotine, the expression levels of α7-nAChR increased in the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG) and decreased in the spinal cord. Acute administration of the selective α7-nAChR agonist CDP-Choline reversed this hypersensitivity. Chronic nicotine administration led to an increase of microglial cells in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and increased expression levels of the cytokines TNFα and COX-2.This study suggests that decreased α7-nAChR expression in the spinal cord, as a result of long-term exposure to nicotine, may be causatively linked to chronic pain. Simultaneously, the increase of neuro-immune factors in the spinal cord is also a potential factor leading to chronic pain.

Feasibility of Manufacturing Tobacco with Very Low Nicotine Levels

Objective: In this paper, we evaluate the effectiveness of agricultural approaches and manufacturing techniques that can be applied to reduce nicotine content of tobacco to minimally addictive levels (< 0.4 mg/g). Methods: Using a semi-structured approach, we searched scientific and grey literature including patents and internal industry documents, using keywords like tobacco, nicotine, alkaloids, denic(otinized) tobacco, reduced nicotine content, very low nicotine tobacco. Results: Nicotine can be reduced via genetic modification or traditional breeding techniques. Contents and emissions are similar to regular cigarettes, but consumers rated them as less satisfactory. Extraction techniques yield less palatable tobacco too, due to co-extraction of favor components in tobacco. Microbial and enzymatic degradation lead to other, mostly undesirable, changes to tobacco. Supercritical extraction resulted in a taste most similar to regular cigarettes, but still failed in the marketplace. Conclusions: Most of the available techniques are successful in reducing nicotine levels, sometimes to levels lower than 0.4 mg/g. However, in almost all cases, the resulting tobacco leads to a less satisfactory smoking experience. Although reduction of nicotine to a non-addictive level is feasible from a technical perspective, it is not clear whether such measures could be successfully implemented.

The impact of chronic daily nicotine exposure and its overnight withdrawal on the structure of anxiety-related behaviors in rats: Role of the lateral habenula

Tobacco smoking is a serious health problem worldwide and a leading cause of mortality. Nicotine, the addictive component of tobacco, affects a range of emotional responses, including anxiety-related behaviors. Although perceived by smokers to be anxiolytic, evidence suggests that smoking increases anxiety and that mood fluctuates with nicotine intake. Thus, nicotine addiction may depend on easing the psychobiological distress caused by its abuse. The lateral habenula (LHb) has been implicated as a neural substrate for acute nicotine-induced anxiety, but its role in anxiety-like behaviors associated with chronic nicotine exposure has not been explored. Here, we assessed the effect of chronic nicotine exposure and its subsequent overnight withdrawal on anxiety-like behavior using both quantitative and multivariate T-pattern analysis in rats tested using the hole-board apparatus. Additionally, we explored the role of the LHb by comparing the behavioral effects of short-term nicotine withdrawal in chronically treated LHb-lesioned rats. Quantitative analysis revealed increased anxiety-like behavior in chronically treated overnight nicotine-deprived rats, as manifested in reduced general and focused exploratory behaviors, which was eased in animals that received nicotine. Quantitative analysis failed to reveal a role of the LHb in overnight nicotine deprivation-induced anxiety. Conversely, T-pattern analysis of behavioral outcomes revealed that chronic nicotine-treated rats still show anxiety-like behavior following nicotine challenge. Moreover, it demonstrated that the LHb lesion induced a stronger anxiolytic-like response to the acute challenge of nicotine in chronically nicotine-exposed animals, implicating the LHb in the anxiogenic effect of chronic nicotine exposure. These data further highlight the LHb as a promising target for smoking cessation therapies and support the importance of T-pattern analysis for behavioral analysis.

Palladium/Sensory Component-Catalyzed Homocoupling Reactions of Aryl Halides

A novel and efficient catalyst system was developed for homocoupling reactions of aryl halides. The catalyst system consists of Pd(OAc)2 and the peppery sensory component of tobacco leaves. This is the first time that a sensory component has been used in an organic reaction. Experiments using the catalyst system showed that the reactions proceeded smoothly under air in the absence of both an additional ligand and a reductant. Furthermore, the catalyst system can be applied to the coupling reactions of hetaryl iodides. Many functional groups (including a hydroxy group) are tolerated.

LC-MS/MS Method in Nicotine Metabolites Quantification

Nicotine is a ganglioplegic alkaloid, being the main component of tobacco. Some of the final metabolites of nicotine could be used to evaluate the nicotine dependency in humans using the Fagerstrom test. The test consists in cotinine quantitative determination, and evaluation of the correlation between cotinine from plasma and from urine. Cotinine quantification was performed using LC-MS/MS method both for blood and urine, in a private authorized laboratory for medical tests. Our study was conducted in two stages (1st year of study - initial assessment; and 6th year of study - final assessment) and included 62 apparently healthy subjects (77% females and 23% males) with an average age of 19�1.48 years at baseline, respectively 24�0.83 years at the final assessment. The prevalence of smoking increased significantly from 14.51% to 32.25% (p=0.01) (11% F and 3% M initially, respectively 25% F and 7% M final). The final assessment found that 21% became smokers after starting their university studies, 11% were permanent smokers throughout the 6th year study, and only 3.22% quit smoking. Percentage distribution on smoking addiction levels was at baseline: mild 11%, moderate 33%, severe 56%, and a final assessment: mild 15% (p=0.77), moderate 75% (p=0.01) and severe 10% (p=0.007). The results show a significant increase in the number of smoker girls compared to boys, a significant increase in the prevalence of moderately dependent smokers and a significant decrease in the prevalence of severely dependent smokers. LC-MS/MS can be used very well to evaluate the cotinine content in blood and urine, which could be used in Fagerstrom test in order to evaluate the nicotine addiction in young people and to find priority solutions for smoking prevention and quit smoking.

BDNF and nicotine dependence: associations and potential mechanisms.

Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death worldwide and tobacco addiction has become a serious public health problem. Nicotine is the main addictive component of tobacco, and the majority of people that smoke regularly develop nicotine dependence. Nicotine addiction is deemed to be a chronic mental disorder. Although it is well known that nicotine binds to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and activates the mesolimbic dopaminergic system (MDS) to generate the pleasant and rewarding effects, the molecular mechanisms of nicotine addiction are not fully understood. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the most prevalent growth factor in the brain, which regulates neuron survival, differentiation, and synaptic plasticity, mainly through binding to the high affinity receptor tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB). BDNF gene polymorphisms are associated with nicotine dependence and blood BDNF levels are altered in smokers. In this review, we discussed the effects of nicotine on BDNF expression in the brain and summarized the underlying signaling pathways, which further indicated BDNF as a key regulator in nicotine dependence. Further studies that aim to understand theneurobiological mechanism of BDNF in nicotine addcition would provide a valuable reference for quitting smoking and developing the treatment of other addictive substances.

Development of a tobacco 21 policy assessment tool and state-level analysis in the USA, 2015–2019

ObjectivePolicies raising the minimum legal sales age (MLSA) of tobacco products to 21 are commonly referred to as tobacco 21. This study sought to identify components of tobacco 21 policies...

Difference in Lung Functions according to Genetic Polymorphism of Tobacco Substance Metabolizing Enzymes of Korean Smokers

This study aimed to determine whether there was a difference in lung functions of smokers according to the presence of carcinogenic genetic-metabolizing enzymes by comparing the results of lung functions and the presence of genetic metabolizing enzymes that metabolize tobacco substances. To achieve this, 31 smokers without no illness and no psychiatric history were selected (28 males and 3 females); they were aged 20 to 27 years and were physically and mentally healthy students attending K University. Their lung functions were measured, and gene polymorphisms of cytochrome P-450 1A1 (CYP1A1) related to metabolic activation of tobacco components and gene polymorphism of tumor protein 53 (TP53) related to lung cancer were analyzed. As a result, the mean values of lung function of TT and Arg / Arg without genetic mutations were the highest, and ANOVA analysis of CYP1A1 and lung functions showed that the P-value of FVC was 0.049, which was different between groups. In other words, there is no high mutation in Cytochrome P-450 1A1 (CYP1A1) gene, which is associated with the metabolic activation of tobacco components. In other words, In the absence of the mutant Cytochrome P-450 1A1 (CYP1A1) gene, which is associated with the metabolic activation of tobacco components, the value of FVC was high.

Abstract 1489: Exosomes are key players in nicotine-induced angiogenesis

Abstract Nicotine, an addictive component of cigarette smoke and tobacco, have been shown to promote cancer pathogenesis. Angiogenesis is an important hallmark of cancer that sustains the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the fast proliferating cancer cells through the formation of new blood vessels. The goal of present study was to examine the direct and indirect effect of nicotine on endothelial cell growth, their migration and invasion, and capillary forming ability. We treated the human umbilical vein endothelial cells with two doses of nicotine within physiological range of smokers (200nM and 400nM) and examined the effect on their growth. In parallel, we treated the prostate cancer cells with similar doses of nicotine or vehicle for 8 h and subsequently replaced the media. After next 48 h, conditioned media (CM) was collected from vehicle- (Veh-CM) and nicotine- (Nic-CM) treated prostate cancer cells and used for the treatment of endothelial cells. The growth of endothelial cells increased by ~19 % and ~22 % upon direct treatment of nicotine at 200nM and 400nM doses, respectively. However, a far greater increase was recorded (~128% and ~ 146%, respectively), when endothelial cells were treated with the conditioned media derived from nicotine-treated cancer cells at 200nM and 400nM doses. In next of experiments, we fractionated Veh-CM and Nic-CM (200nM dose) into soluble and exosomal fractions and examined their effect on endothelial cells. We observed that exosomal fraction was more potent (~89%) in inducing endothelial cell growth as compared to the soluble fraction (~46%). In addition, we also observed significant greater increase in motility, invasion and capillary-forming ability of endothelial cells that were pre-treated with Nic-Exo as compared to those treated with Veh-Exo. Studies are currently ongoing to examine the comparative efficacy of nicotine-treated soluble and exosomal factions in potentiating motility, invasion and capillary formation and define the underlying molecular mechanism(s). Our findings thus support a novel pathogenic role of nicotine in cancer where exosomes act as key players in promoting angiogenesis. Citation Format: Shubhangi Singh, Sirin Saranyutanon, Mohammad Aslam Khan, Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava, Seema Singh, Ajay P. Singh. Exosomes are key players in nicotine-induced angiogenesis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 1489.

Residue measurement of pendimethalin in tobacco by using heart-cutting two dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry.

A novel heart-cutting two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for quantitative analysis of pendimethalin residue in tobacco. The strategy of reversed phase liquid chromatography coupled with another reversed-phase liquid chromatography was employed for high column efficiency and excellent compatibility of mobile phase. In the first dimensional chromatography, a cyano column with methanol/water as the eluent was applied to separate pendimethalin from thousands of interference components in tobacco. By heart-cutting technique, which effectively removed interference components, the target compound was cut to the second dimensional C18 column for further separation. The pendimethalin residue was finally determined by the tandem mass spectrometry under multiple reaction monitoring reversed-phase liquid chromatography mode. Sample pretreatment of the new method was simplified, involving only extraction and filtration. Compared with traditional methodologies, the new method showed fairly high selectivity and sensitivity with almost no matrix interference. The limit of quantitation for pendimethalin was 1.21ng/mL, whereas the overall recoveries ranged from 95.7 to 103.3%. The new method has been successfully applied to non-stop measure of 200 real samples, without contamination of ion source. Detection results of the samples agreed well with standard method.

Palladium/Sensory Component-Catalyzed Homocoupling Reactions of Aryl Halides

A novel and efficient catalyst system was developed for homocoupling reactions of aryl halides. The catalyst system consists of Pd(OAc)2 and the peppery sensory component of tobacco leaves. This is the first time that a sensory component has been used in an organic reaction. Experiments using the catalyst system showed that the reactions proceeded smoothly under air in the absence of both an additional ligand and a reductant. Furthermore, the catalyst system can be applied to the coupling reactions of hetaryl iodides. Many functional groups (including a hydroxy group) are tolerated.

Smoking and its ramifications relating to oral mucosa

Smoking has adverse effects in oral health. In today’s day to day life smoking has become a common practice which eventually damages the hard and soft tissues of the oral cavity. Along with periodontal diseases, surface epithelial changes, smoking also increases the risk of oral precancer and oral cancer with various other plausible effects. Oral Health Professionals plays a pivotal role in screening and creating awareness in the prevention and diagnosis of such diseases. Therefore this review focuses on the effects of smoking, components of burning tobacco that could affect the overall oral health and the benefits of ceasing the habit of smoking

Distinct Temporal Structure of Nicotinic ACh Receptor Activation Determines Responses of VTA Neurons to Endogenous ACh and Nicotine.

The addictive component of tobacco, nicotine, acts via nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). The β2 subunit-containing nAChRs (β2-nAChRs) play a crucial role in the rewarding properties of nicotine and are particularly densely expressed in the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system. Specifically, nAChRs directly and indirectly affect DA neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The understanding of ACh and nicotinic regulation of DA neuron activity is incomplete. By computational modeling, we provide mechanisms for several apparently contradictory experimental results. First, systemic knockout of β2-containing nAChRs drastically reduces DA neurons bursting, although the major glutamatergic (Glu) afferents that have been shown to evoke this bursting stay intact. Second, the most intuitive way to rescue this bursting—by re-expressing the nAChRs on VTA DA neurons—fails. Third, nAChR re-expression on VTA GABA neurons rescues bursting in DA neurons and increases their firing rate under the influence of ACh input, whereas nicotinic application results in the opposite changes in firing. Our model shows that, first, without ACh receptors, Glu excitation of VTA DA and GABA neurons remains balanced and GABA inhibition cancels the direct excitation. Second, re-expression of ACh receptors on DA neurons provides an input that impedes membrane repolarization and is ineffective in restoring firing of DA neurons. Third, the distinct responses to ACh and nicotine occur because of distinct temporal patterns of these inputs: pulsatile versus continuous. Altogether, this study highlights how β2-nAChRs influence coactivation of the VTA DA and GABA neurons required for motivation and saliency signals carried by DA neuron activity.

Evaluation of the protective effects of icariin on nicotine-induced reproductive toxicity in male mouse \u2013a pilot study

BackgroundNicotine, a pharmacologically active component of tobacco adversely affects the male reproductive system and fertility whereas icariin (ICA), the main active ingredient in Epimedium herba has been used in the treatment of several male reproductive problems. This study aimed at evaluating the protective or ameliorative effect of ICA against reproductive toxicity induced by intraperitoneal injection of nicotine in mice.MethodsUsing simple random allocation, forty male mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: control (received 0.35 mL physiological saline via gastric gavage), nicotine (0.75 mg/kg BW/day intraperitoneally), ICA (75 mg/kg BW/day gastric gavage), and nicotine plus ICA (nicotine, 0.75 mg/kg BW/day intraperitoneally + ICA, 75 mg/kg BW/day gastric gavage) group. After 35 days of treatment, the mice were weighed, sacrificed, and their reproductive organs (testis and epididymis) were collected and examined for further studies.ResultsThe nicotine-treated group showed significantly decreased epididymal sperm density and serum testosterone concentration relative to the control group. Nicotine also caused oxidative damage shown by significant reduction in the activities of antioxidant enzymes and elevation in Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. ICA on the other hand, improved the reduction in sperm density, hormone levels, and activities of antioxidant enzymes altered in the nicotine treated mice.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that nicotine-induced reproductive toxicity and oxidative damage on male reproductive tissues could be attenuated by ICA.

Inhibition of monoacylglycerol lipase reduces nicotine reward in the conditioned place preference test in male mice

Nicotine, the primary psychoactive component in tobacco, plays a major role in the initiation and maintenance of tobacco dependence and addiction, a leading cause of preventable death worldwide. An essential need thus exists for more effective pharmacotherapies for nicotine-use cessation. Previous reports suggest that pharmacological and genetic blockade of CB1 receptors attenuate nicotine reinforcement and reward; while exogenous agonists enhanced these abuse-related behaviors. In this study, we utilized complementary genetic and pharmacologic approaches to test the hypothesis that increasing the levels of the endocannabinoid 2-arachindonoylglycerol (2-AG), will enhance nicotine reward by stimulating neuronal CB1 receptors. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found that inhibition of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), the primary catabolic enzyme of 2-AG, attenuates nicotine conditioned place preference (CPP) in mice, through a non-CB1 receptor-mediated mechanism. MAGL inhibition did not alter palatable food reward or Lithium Chloride (LiCl) aversion. In support of our findings, repeated MAGL inhibition did not induce a reduction in CB1 brain receptor levels or hinder function. To explore the potential mechanism of action, we investigated if MAGL inhibition affected other fatty acid levels in our CPP paradigm. Indeed, MAGL inhibition caused a concomitant decrease in arachidonic acid (AA) levels in various brain regions of interest, suggesting an AA cascade-dependent mechanism. This idea is supported by dose-dependent attenuation of nicotine preference by the selective COX-2 inhibitors valdecoxib and LM-4131. Collectively, these findings, along with our reported studies on nicotine withdrawal, suggest that inhibition of MAGL represents a promising new target for the development of pharmacotherapies to treat nicotine dependence.

Effects of chronic nicotine exposure on Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-induced locomotor activity and neural activation in male and female adolescent and adult rats

RationaleHigh rates of comorbid tobacco and cannabis use in adolescents and young adults may be related to functional interactions between the nicotinic cholinergic and cannabinoid systems in the brain during development. This study examined the effects of chronic exposure to nicotine (the psychoactive component in tobacco) on acute exposure to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (the psychoactive component of cannabis). MethodsMale and female adolescent and adult Sprague-Dawley rats (N = 112) were injected daily with nicotine (1 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle for 14 days, followed by a 14-day drug-free period. On test day, rats were injected with THC (5 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle, locomotor activity was recorded for 2 h, and brains harvested for c-Fos immunoreactivity (IR). ResultsLocomotor activity and c-Fos IR changes induced by THC challenge were altered by nicotine pre-exposure and modified by age and sex. THC-induced suppression of locomotor activity was attenuated by nicotine pre-exposure in adult but not adolescent males. THC-induced suppression of locomotor activity was potentiated by nicotine pre-exposure in female adolescents, with no effects of THC or nicotine observed in female adults. THC increased c-Fos IR in the caudate, nucleus accumbens, stria terminalis, septum, amygdala, hypothalamus, and thalamus. Nicotine pre-exposure potentiated this effect in all regions. Several brain regions showed age and sex differences in c-Fos IR such that expression was greater in adults than adolescents and in females than males. ConclusionsChronic nicotine pre-exposure produces lasting effects on cannabinoid-mediated signalling in the brain and on behaviour that are mediated by age and sex. Funding supportNSERC.

Adverse effects of nicotine on cardiogenic differentiation from human embryonic stem cells detected by single-cell RNA sequencing

Tobacco smoking was one of the important adverse factors for congenital heart disease. The effects of nicotine, the main component of tobacco, on human embryonic cardiogenesis and related mechanisms remain poorly understood. This work used single-cell RNA sequencing to investigate the effects of nicotine on human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line H9 and its underlying mechanisms during cardiac differentiation. H9 was cultured in feeder-free medium and differentiated in cardiac condition medium when cells reached 90% confluent. Cell viability was detected by MTT after different concentration of nicotine treatment. Different expressed genes during cardiac differentiation was analyzed by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). Key gene expressions were confirmed by qPCR and Western blot. Results showed that 0.1μM–10μM nicotine did not affect H9 cell proliferation. Nicotine 1 μM down-regulated cardiac progenitor cell, mesoderm cell, smooth muscle cell and neural crest cell relatively. Snail1/2 regulating endocardial cushion development were downregulated apparently at differention day 6. Nicotine didn’t affect bry-1 and mesp-1 but inhibited cardiac transcript factors. Consequently, the expression of cTnI, a marker of cardiomyocytes was decreased significantly. The data suggest direct adverse effects of nicotine on heart development at the single-cell level and offer a new approach for estimate drug and environmental toxicity on the pathogenesis of the embryonic cardiovascular system development.