title: Erythrocytes from cigarette smokers contain more glutathione and catalase and protect endothelial cells from hydrogen peroxide better than do erythrocytes from nonsmokers.
abstract: Recent observations regarding the ability of intracellular erythrocyte (RBC) antioxidants to decrease O2 metabolite-mediated injury to lung tissues has prompted interest in the RBC antioxidants of patients with lung disease. We found that RBC from 14 healthy, age- and gender-matched cigarette smokers contained more (p less than 0.05) glutathione (6.3 +/- 0.4 microM/g Hgb versus 5.0 +/- 0.3 microM/g Hgb) and catalase (249,533 +/- 8,307 units/g Hgb versus 222,617 +/- 7,180 units/g Hgb) than did RBC from nonsmokers. In contrast, RBC from cigarette smokers and nonsmokers contained the same activities of glutathione peroxidase (21.4 +/- 1.2 units/g Hgb versus 20.4 +/- 5.5 units/g Hgb). RBC from cigarette smokers also protected bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells in culture from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) better (p less than 0.005) than did RBC from nonsmokers (52.1 +/- 6.1% protection versus 31.9 +/- 5.7% protection). The results suggest that alterations in RBC antioxidants may reflect exposure and/or affect susceptibility to oxidant-induced injury.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002374:Catalase / Q000097:blood*; D002417:Cattle; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004727:Endothelium / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000633:toxicity*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking
chemical_list: D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D002374:Catalase; D005978:Glutathione