Cytisine (Cyt)

Cytisineis a toxic alkaloid that occurs naturally in several plant genera, such as Laburnum and Cytisus of the family Fabaceae. Despite its toxicity (LD50 i.v., in mice ~2 mg/kg), it has been used medically to help with smoking cessation: it is less effective but much cheaper than similar products. Its molecular structure has some similarity to that of nicotine and it has similar pharmacological effects. Excessive doses can interfere with breathing and cause death. Cytisine is an acetylcholine agonist, and has strong binding affinity for the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. As a pharmaceutical preparation, it is available for the treatment of tobacco smoking. It is extracted from the seeds of Cytisus laborinum L. (Golden Rain acacia) and has been available in former socialist economy (FSE) countries for more than 40 years as an aid to smoking cessation under the brand name Tabex produced by the Bulgarian pharmaceutical company Sopharma AD.