title: Cigarette smoke blocks cross-linking of elastin in vitro.
abstract: Water-soluble components of the gas phase of filtered cigarette smoke inhibit formation of covalent desmosine cross-links during conversion of tropoelastin to elastin in vitro. These same smoke components also suppress lysyl-oxidase-catalyzed oxidation of lysine epsilon-amino groups in tropoelastin (the chemical step preceding formation of all elastin cross-links, including desmosine) in a dose-dependent fashion. However, gas phase smoke does not block the oxidation of diaminopentane by lysyl oxidase. Thus, gas phase cigarette smoke may possess substrate-directed (rather than enzyme-directed) inhibitory components capable of interfering with elastin cross-linking in vitro. Similar effects occurring in smokers' lungs could impede elastin repair and contribute to the development of pulmonary emphysema.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002645:Chickens; D003895:Desmosine / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004549:Elastin / Q000378:metabolism*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D012906:Smoke; D012996:Solutions; D013552:Swine; D014026:Nicotiana
chemical_list: D012906:Smoke; D012996:Solutions; D003895:Desmosine; D004549:Elastin