title: Effects of nicotine replacement therapy on markers of oxidative stress in cigarette smokers enrolled in a smoking cessation program.
abstract: Twenty healthy, asymptomatic long-term cigarette smokers (8 males, 12 females; mean age: 43 +/- 9 years) were selected at random from a larger series receiving nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for 12 weeks to study the effects of NRT on plasma markers of oxidative stress. Plasma aliquots, obtained at baseline (T0) and after 12 weeks (T12) of NRT, were used to measure malondialdeyde (MDA) and total Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC). In subjects who completely quit smoking ('quitters', n = 10), MDA was higher at T0 (1.08 mumol/l, interquartile range 0.85-1.16) than at T12 (0.71 mumol/l, range 0.32-0.92; p < 0.01), and TEAC was lower at T0 (1.20 mM, range 1.11-1.31) than at T12 (1.43 mM, range 1.31-1.49; p < 0.05). In subjects who had only reduced the number of cigarettes smoked per day ('reducers', n = 10), differences between the T0 and T12 levels of MDA (0.81 [0.75-0.96] vs. 0.76 [0.58-0.84] mumol/l) and TEAC (1.28 [1.05-1.50] vs. 1.25 [1.09-1.42] mM) were not significant. At T0, MDA and cotinine levels correlated in reducers (r = 0.79, p < 0.05) and, though not significantly, in quitters (r = 0.50, p = 0.12). At T12 this relationship between MDA and cotinine was still present in the reducers (r = 0.70, p < 0.05), while the scatter of points in quitters was completely dispersed (r = (0.09). These results show that smoking cessation but not smoking reduction is associated with decreased markers of oxidative stress in the plasma of active cigarette smokers.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Cardiotoracico, Università di Pisa, Ospedale Cisanello, via Paradisa 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy. s.petruzzelli@mail.ao-pisa.toscana.it
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Petruzzelli
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Tavanti
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pulerà
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fornai
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Puntoni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Celi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giuntini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005731:Ganglionic Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016540:Smoking Cessation
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005731:Ganglionic Stimulants; D009538:Nicotine