Endothelial dysfunction and type of cigarette smoked: the impact of ‘light’ versus regular cigarette smoking

Abstract

Acute cigarette smoking leads to temporary endothelial dysfunction, which is an early event in atherogenesis. Sufficient data concerning the effect of cigarettes with low tar and nicotine yield are lacking. Seventeen healthy individuals (nine women, eight men, aged 27.8 AE 3.6 years) were subjected to evaluation of endothelial function by means of endothelium-dependent, flowmediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery, before, immediately after and 30, 60 and 90 min after smoking a regular cigarette (nicotine 0.9 mg, tar 12 mg) or the corresponding 'light' cigarette (nicotine 0.6 mg, tar 8 mg). The following day, measurements were repeated after smoking the opposite kind of cigarette. Baseline FMD was 6.1 AE 1.6% and 7.2 AE 2.0% in the light and regular cigarette groups, respectively (p ¼ NS). The overall effect of the regular cigarette over time on FMD compared with the light cigarette was significantly different (F ¼ 3.039, p ¼ 0.023). FMD was significantly depressed after smoking both types (light: F ¼ 8.192, p < 0.001; regular: F ¼ 16.698, p < 0.001). Immediately after smoking, FMD declined in both groups (light: 3.0 AE 2.4% and regular: 1.6 AE 3.2%, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively), and it remained significantly depressed in the regular cigarette group at 30 min (0.75 AE 1.5%, p < 0.001) and 60 min (3.5 AE 3.1%, p ¼ 0.024), while in the light cigarette group FMD differences were abolished at 30, 60 and 90 min after smoking. In conclusion, acute smoking of both regular and light cigarettes leads to temporary vasomotor dysfunction; its duration is shorter after smoking a 'light' cigarette.

Acute smoke-induced endothelial dysfunction is more prolonged in smokers than in non-smokers

“…Both groups of volunteers presented a significant endothelial dysfunction after smoking the same type of cigarette, which is already described previously [1,[6][7][8]. However, smokers had a more severe endothelial dysfunction than non-smokers according to their total response after smoking one cigarette.…”

Light cigarette smoking impairs coronary microvascular functions as severely as smoking regular cigarettes

“…Papamichael et al 19 investigated acute effects of light and regular cigarette smoking on endothelial function. They found that smoking a regular or light cigarette caused a significant increase in the heart rate immediately after smoking, which was not present 30 minutes after smoking.…”

“…In our study, we found that smoking light and regular cigaretts has similar effects on heart rate and blood pressure. Papamichael et al found that smoking low-tar, low-nicotine cigarettes is associated with impairment of endothelium-dependent vasodilatation immediately after smoking, which lasts for less than 60 minutes 19. Smoking a cigarette with a higher content of tar and nicotine leads to vasomotor dysfunction lasting at least 60 minutes 19…”

“…If we consider that smokers usually smoke for several decades of their life, the disabling nature of smoking is easily understood. It is generally believed that smokers of light cigarettes smoke more cigarettes a day than smokers of regular cigarettes,19 and therefore the chronic effect on the endothelium may be not be less than for regular cigarette smokers. In our study, the two groups smoked similar amounts of cigarettes; however, we found that light and regular cigarette smokers have similarly impaired coronary microvascular functions.…”

Acute Effects of Smoking Light Cigarettes on Coronary Microvascular Functions

“…In the same manner, we observed that light cigarette smoking impairs CFR independently from the nicotine and tar content of the cigarette smoked. Papamichael et al 21 reported that prompt increments in heart rate and BP were observed during the first 5 minutes after smoking. These changes have been attributed to an increase in circulating and locally released catecholamines.…”