Fig. 3.

Repeated nicotine exposure leads to an enhanced expression of a functional α7 nAChR. a Human THP-I monocytes were preincubated for 20 min with 1 µM nicotine or vehicle at day 1. At day 2 (24 h later), cells were reexposed with 10 µM nicotine for 3 h, followed by 2 h of saline or 10 ng/ml LPS stimulation. b TNF levels of THP- 1 monocytes stimulated with LPS and nicotine at the indicated dosing scheme. Cells were subsequently incubated with GSK1345038 nAChR α7-specific agonist at the indicated doses. Values are given as percentages relative to 0 µM GSK1345038 incubation for each treatment group. Data shown are mean ± SEM of three independent experiments done in duplicate. * p < 0.05.