Destruction of tocopherols, carotenoids, and retinol in human plasma by cigarette smoke

The mechanisms by which exposure to cigarette smoke dramatically increase the incidence and severity of atherosclerosis and the incidence of lung cancer, chronic obstructive airways disease, and emphysema are incompletely understood. Epidemiologic evidence has suggested a modifying role for antioxid...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of clinical nutrition 1996-04, Vol.63 (4), p.559-565
Main Authors: Handelman, GJ, Packer, L, Cross, CE
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
beta Carotene - analogs & derivatives
Biological and medical sciences
Carotenoids - analogs & derivatives
Carotenoids - blood
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
Cryptoxanthins
Female
Health
Humans
In Vitro Techniques
Lycopene
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Nicotiana
Plants, Toxic
Smoke - adverse effects
Tobacco smoke
Tobacco, tobacco smoking
Toxicology
Vitamin A - blood
Vitamin E - blood
Xanthophylls
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Summary:The mechanisms by which exposure to cigarette smoke dramatically increase the incidence and severity of atherosclerosis and the incidence of lung cancer, chronic obstructive airways disease, and emphysema are incompletely understood. Epidemiologic evidence has suggested a modifying role for antioxidant micronutrients, including tocopherols and carotenoids, in these disease processes. It has been suggested that oxidants in cigarette smoke could be involved. We exposed freshly obtained human plasma to the gas phase of cigarette smoke to assess its effects on tocopherols, carotenoids, and retinol. Exposure to cigarette smoke led to the depletion of most of the lipophilic antioxidants in 20 mL human plasma. The order of disappearance was lycopene > alpha-tocopherol > trans-beta-carotene++ > (lutein + zeaxanthin) = cryptoxanthin > gamma-tocopherol = retinol. However, despite a substantial loss of alpha-tocopherol, there was very little peroxidative damage to lipids, and no detectable change in the content of polyunsaturated fatty acid-rich cholesterol esters. We conclude that a wide spectrum of lipophilic micronutrients undergo degradation when exposed to gas-phase cigarette smoke. The relevance of these in vitro findings to possible cigarette smoke-induced depletions of respiratory tract lipophilic antioxidants remains to be clarified.
ISSN:0002-9165
1938-3207
DOI:10.1093/ajcn/63.4.559