Influence of Chronic Cigarette Smoking on Serum Biochemical Profile in Male Human Volunteers

Abstract

Electrolytes and minerals are involved in most cellular activities and assume a major role in metabolism. The present study is aimed to understand the influence of electrolyte alterations on serum lipid profile and enzymes in chronic cigarette smokers. Thirty human male volunteers in each group, aged between 27 and 35 taking local diet and smoking for 7-10 years at least 8-12 cigarettes per day were chosen as experimental subjects. All the subjects were using cigarettes without a filter. Controls (age, sex and diet matched) who did not smoke were selected for the study. Blood samples drawn from human volunteers by venipuncture and were used immediately for analysis. There was no significant change observed in serum sodium, chloride levels, where as significant (p < 0.05) increase was observed in potassium, iron, calcium and phosphate in chronic cigarette smokers when compared to controls. Further, enhanced activities of the serum enzymes viz., transaminases (Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and with no change in γ-glutamyl transferase (γGT) were observed. The concentration of calcium was positively correlated with serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (r = 0.252, r = 0.347) respectively and negatively (r = −0.164) correlated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, further, potassium was positively correlated with LDH, ALP and ALT (r = 0.419, r = 0.174, 0.248) respectively in chronic cigarette smokers. Chronic cigarette smoking might have induced alterations in membrane permeability properties of tissues and organs, which might have resulted in changes in signal transduction and electrolyte imbalance.

Toxic elements in tobacco and in cigarette smoke: inflammation and sensitization

“…Iron has been reported at significantly lower concentrations in the exhaled breath condensate of study subjects with COPD compared to nonsmoking healthy control subjects, 25 but Padmavathi et al determined iron at significantly higher concentrations in serum of chronic smokers than of nonsmokers 72 in agreement with other rat and human studies. 73 Presence of trace iron with silicates has been shown to augment pulmonary inflammatory response to silica exposure.…”

Comparing lipid profile in healthy participants with and without smoking: A prospective study

“…In the age group of 41-50 and >50 years, the smokers had mean HDL-C of 34.0 mg/dL and 30.9 mg/dL (12 persons), respectively, while in controls of the same age group, it was 41.0 mg/dL (14 persons) and 38.2 mg/dL, respectively. These findings are in conformity with the work of Zamir et al [11] Direct relationship of smoking toward CHD has been mentioned by Padmavathi et al, [15] who described that increase in HDL level by 1 mg/ dL was associated with decrease in the risk of CHD by 3%. In the present study, LDL levels were also increased in smokers than non-smokers and are in agreement with results of Kesaneimi and Grundy.…”

The Prevalence of Cigarette Smoking and its Relation to Certain Risk Predictors of Cardiovascular Diseases in Central-Slovakian Roma Children and Adolescents

“…Increased serum calcium levels of smokers correlate negatively with serum HDL and positively with LDL. Cigarette smoke contains various oxidants (oxygen free radicals and volatile aldehydes) which are probably the major cause of damage to biomolecules (the oxidative process in the etiopathogenesis of atherosclerosis) (26).…”