Cytisine

Cytisine

Cytisine (also known as baptitoxine, cytisinicline, or sophorine, is an alkaloid that occurs naturally in several plant genera, such as Laburnum and Cytisus of the family Fabaceae. It is used medically to help with smoking cessation.

Its molecular structure has some similarity to that of nicotine, and it has similar pharmacological effects. Like the smoking cessation aid varenicline, cytisine is a partial agonist of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs).

As a result, it provides similar effects to that of smoking a cigarette, however they last significantly longer.

The difference in the route of administration and the longer duration (than that of nicotine) greatly reduces the urge to redose that comes with smoking nicotine containing products.