title: Effects of smoking regular or light cigarettes on brachial artery flow-mediated dilation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the effects of regular cigarettes (RCs) and light cigarettes (LCs) on brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and sublingual glyceryl trinitrate-induced dilation (GTN), markers of endothelial dependant and independent function, respectively.
  
  
  METHODS
  206 subjects (age 51.5 ± 12.8 yr, 122 men) had their smoking habits recorded and FMD and GTN measured by B-mode ultrasound. Cigarettes were categorized as RCs or LCs according to their content of tar, nicotine and CO. The chronic effect was assessed in current smokers of RCs (n = 85) or LCs (n = 53) and in never smokers (NS; n = 68). The acute effect was assessed in current smokers by measuring FMD before and 10-min after smoking a single regular (n = 29) or light (n = 51) cigarette.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FMD was significantly lower in consumers of RCs (6.26%, 95% C.I. 5.58, 6.94) or LCs (5.59%, 95% C.I. 4.74, 6.45) compared to NS (8.68%, 95% C.I. 7.92, 9.44) (both P < 0.0001), but did not differ (P > 0.05) when compared to each other. GTN was similar in the three groups. Analyses adjusted for clinical confounders and for markers involved in oxidative stress, arginine/nitric oxide pathway, and inflammation provided identical results. Smoking a single cigarette, either regular or light, reduced FMD (-0.88% and -1.17%, respectively, both P < 0.05), without significant difference between cigarette type. RCs and LCs produced analogous chronic and acute effects when FMD was calculated with respect to the last 60 s of the low-flow phase (FMD60s).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LCs impair endothelial-dependant vasodilation as much as RCs. Thus, smoking LCs cannot be considered an alternative to the only safe choice of a complete and permanent smoking cessation.
authors.affiliation: Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amato
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Frigerio
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Castelnuovo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ravani
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sansaro
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tremoli
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Squellerio
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cavalca
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Veglia
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Sirtori
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Werba
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Baldassarre
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009538:Nicotine / Q000009:adverse effects; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000009:adverse effects; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D009538:Nicotine