RESEARCH
The Tobacco Cessation and Biobehavioral Center brings together researchers from
different disciplines to understand the mechanisms and biology of the effects of
smoked and smokeless tobacco products, develop clinical applications in patient
care, and evaluate the efficacy of pharmacological therapies for tobacco
cessation. Click here to read about TCBC's most recent
collaboration with Egypt's National Research Center.
Recent Projects
L Jack Windsor’s, PhD, laboratory works on the effects that tobacco and its components
have on oral tissue cells. These studies
focus on alterations in cellular functions such as extracellular matrix degradation,
cytokine/growth factor expression, matrix metalloproteinase expression, and tumor
development. Specially, studies are
on-going examining the ability of nicotine, smoke condensate, and extracts from
new tobacco products (i.e., Taboka and Snus ) have on gingival fibroblasts and epithelium
cells’ ability to degrade Type I collagen with/without
Porphyromonas gingivalis. Additional studies will focus on the ability of these agents to induce mutations
in critical cell cycle regulators that lead to tumor development.
Fengyu Song’s, PhD research focuses on the roles of proteinases, such as
serine proteinases and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), in the degeneration and
regeneration process associated with oral health. Environmental factors, such as
tobacco, are examined to determine their effects on these proteinases
expression.
Richard Gregory’s, PhD,
current work on tobacco biology focuses on the effect of tobacco components
(nicotine and cotinine) on salivary bacterial function. His lab is focusing on
the salivary bacterium Streptococcus mutans which is the bacterium
primarily involved in dental caries formation as well as a significant percent
of endocarditis cases. Smokers apparently have an increased propensity for
endocarditis. Specifically they are studying the upregulation of certain
Streptococcus mutans proteins responsible for binding to endothelial cells
or cardiac tissue when the bacteria are incubated with nicotine or cotinine.
Smokers that are successful in quiting smoking may be recruited into studies
examining their salivary Streptococcus mutans and the relative presence
of these binding proteins on the surface of the bacterium. Longitudinal studies
could be conducted examing these bacterial proteins from when a smoker enters
the cessation program and at the conclusion when he/she has been successful in
quiting. This study could provide further confirmation of the role of nicotine/cotinine
in the upregulation of these binding proteins as well as provide another reason
for quiting smoking in that if a person quits he/she will have less risk of
developing endocarditis.
Arden Christen DDS, MDS, MA,
recently completed a multi-center study evaluating the efficacy and safety of
varenicline tartrate (Chantix), the newest drug on the market for smoking
cessation. Varenicline aids smokers’ desire to quit by relieving nicotine
withdrawal symptoms and reducing the rewarding properties of nicotine. Since
1982, Dr Christen has played a large role in the clinical evaluation of over a
dozen nicotine replacement therapies at the Indiana University School of
Dentistry’s Oral Health Research Center.