Association between cigarette smoking and lipid peroxidation

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the association between smoking and plasma malondialdehyde (P-MDA) which is the one of the most frequently used indicator of lipid peroxidation and serum ferritin. Methods: P-MDA and ferritin levels were investigated in 22 healthy non-smokers and 20 healthy daily smokers matched for age (smokers: 34±7 years; nonsmokers 33±7 years) and gender. Results: The average of P-MDA in the plasma of smokers (7.0±2.4 nmol/ml) was higher than that of non-smokers (2.5±1.3 nmol/ml) (P 0.0001) but there was no significant difference between serum ferritin levels of smokers (49,0±42.0 ng/ml) and non-smokers (57±48.0 ng/ml). Conclusion: These results suggest that cigarette smoking plays an important role in the increase of lipid peroxidation but cigarette smoking is not associated with changes in circulating ferritin levels.