A neurotoxin called acrolein found in tobacco smoke that is thought to increase pain in people with spinal cord injury has now been shown to accumulate in mice exposed to the equivalent of 12 cigarettes daily over a short time period.
Researchers from Purdue University found that the pain being exacerbated by acrolein could be reduced by the drug hydralazine, which has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for hypertension. The drug has been shown to be effective in reducing acrolein levels in research animals, and researchers are working to develop a low-dose version for that purpose in humans.