title: The acute influence of tobacco smoking on adhesion molecule expression on monocytes and neutrophils and on circulating adhesion molecule levels in vivo.
abstract: Soluble adhesion molecules have been reported as risk markers of a wide range of human diseases and specific adhesion molecules may play a direct role in pathological processes. Serum soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) is known to be significantly elevated in smokers compared to non-smokers. We examined the acute effects of smoking a standard 2R1 research cigarette on the serum concentration of sICAM-1 and other circulating adhesion molecules (sP-selectin, sE-selectin, sL-selectin, sVCAM-1 and sPECAM-1) in heavy smokers (serum cotinine >/= 100 ng/ml), light smokers (serum cotinine </= 60 ng/ml) and non-smokers (serum cotinine </= 10 ng/ml) by ELISA. Adhesion molecule expression on the cell surface of monocytes and neutrophils in peripheral blood was examined by flow cytometry. The sICAM-1 concentration directly correlated to serum cotinine concentration (p= 0.047) and nicotine load (p= 0.033) in smokers and was significantly elevated compared to non-smokers (p= 0.037). Other than a decrease in the concentration of sP-selectin over 1 hour regardless of smoking, no significant temporal alterations of any adhesion molecule were observed following the smoking experience or in the non-smoking control group. No significant difference in surface expression of ICAM-1, CD18, PECAM-1 or L-selectin on peripheral monocytes or neutrophils was observed over a 1-hour period following smoking. These data suggest that the elevated concentration of sICAM-1 in smokers is not due to an immediate effect of smoking.
authors.affiliation: Dental Clinical Research, Guy's, King's and St Thomas's Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, UK. david.2.scott@kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Todd
authors.forename: P Y
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Coward
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Odell
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Poston
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Palmer