Anatabine is an alkaloid found in tobacco and other plants in the nightshade family.
Anatabine is being researched for its anti-inflammatory properties. Preliminary evidence suggests it may be useful to treat autoimmune diseases and Alzheimer’s disease.
Unfortunately, current research uses doses that are significantly higher than the anatabine supplements available on the market. Oral studies tend to use a dose of 1.6mg/kg of bodyweight for people, which translates to dose between 68-110mg for a 150lb person. One human study even failed to find anti-inflammatory effects at a dose that was 6 – 12 times higher than the doses found in today’s anatabine supplements.
Anatabine’s main mechanism works by inhibiting the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 protein (STAT3), which inhibits a protein responsible for DNA transcription, called nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (nF-kB). Both Boswellia serrata and Feverfew have a similar mechanism.
Due to limitation of anatabine supplements on the market, it is not a practical anti-inflammatory supplement.