title: The effects of tobacco smoke on plasma alpha- and gamma-tocopherol levels in passive and active cigarette smokers.
abstract: Tobacco smoke is one of the causes of oxidative stress that is leading to attenuation of the antioxidative body protective barrier by means of decreasing the levels of intra- and extracellular antioxidants. The effect of tobacco smoke on plasma levels of two main forms of Vitamin E, alpha- and gamma-tocopherol, in passive smokers (urinary cotinine concentration 50-500 microg/L) and active smokers (urinary cotinine concentration >500 microg/L) were studied. Slight, but statistically significant decreases in plasma alpha-tocopherol level in passive and active smokers in comparison with non-smokers (by 5.7% and 9.2%, respectively) were found. The plasma gamma-tocopherol levels remained unchanged. The Pearson's correlation coefficient for the plasma alpha-tocopherol level and the urinary cotinine concentration in passive and active smokers was -0.431, P = 0.004 and -0.534, P < 0.001, respectively, and for gamma-tocopherol in similar conditions -0.190, P = 0.217 and 0.346, P = 0.027, respectively. The obtained results indicate the secondary role that alpha- and gamma-tocopherol play in the process of tobacco smoke free radical scavenge, or they may also reflect the body increased anti-oxidative mobilization in response to oxidative stress evoked by tobacco smoke.
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Analytical Chemistry, Medical University of Silesia, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Jagiellonska 4, Poland. andsobcz@poczta.onet.pl
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sobczak
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gołka
authors.forename: Izabela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Szołtysek-Bołdys
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003367:Cotinine / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012906:Smoke / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood*; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol / Q000097:blood*; D024504:gamma-Tocopherol / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D012906:Smoke; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D024504:gamma-Tocopherol; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol; D003367:Cotinine