Onyesom I. et al.

/ JPBMS, 2012, 18 (14)

Available online at www.jpbms.info

ISSN NO- 2230 – 7885
Research
JPBMSarticle CODEN JPBSCT

JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

SERUM TOTAL ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY OF SOME NIGERIAN CIGARETTE SMOKERS

*Onyesom. I1, Osioma. E1, Ighodayenowho. O.K.2

1Department of Medical Biochemistry, Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria.

2Department of Biochemistry, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.

Abstract:
Cigarette smoke is reported to contain free radicals. These free radicals interact with the body defense system and
associated health risk among Nigerian smokers have remained scarcely investigated despite the high numbers of smokers
in our society. This study thus, investigates the serum total antioxidant capacity of some Nigerian cigarette smokers in
apparent good health and who have smoked between 1-4 sticks of cigarette/day for about 1-3 years. Twenty(20)
consenting smokers between 19 and 45 years consisting of fifteen (15) males and 5 females were recruited after
examination to certify their apparent good health. Twenty (20) non-smokers, matched in age and sex were included as
control subjects. Serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was higher in male non-smokers (1.92±0.22mM) when compared
with their female counterparts (1.88±0.16mM). Among smokers, the males subjects showed a decreased TAC (Male:
1.45±0.23mM and female; 1.65±0.16mM) with a strong statistical difference between the TAC of smokers and non-
smokers (t=2.095, n=20 and P≤0.05). Data suggest lower oxidant defense and hence, increased susceptibility to free
radical associated diseases especially among the male smokers. Concerted efforts should be made by governmental agents
to enforce legislation that could reduce the rate of smoking. Campaigns should also be initiated to educate the lay public
on the dangers of cigarette smoking.

Keywords: Cigarette, Free radicals, Anti-oxidant, Smokers, Cancer.

Introduction: major cities in Southern Nigeria and twenty (20) non-

Smoking is one of the major lifestyle factor influencing
human health with life-long cigarette smokers having a
higher prevalence to chronic diseases such as
arteriosclerosis (Sue and Sara, 1993). Long term smoking
of cigarette can result in systemic oxidant-antioxidant
imbalance as reflected by increased products of lipid
peroxidation and depleted levels of antioxidants like
Vitamin A, C and E in the plasma of smokers [5] .
Although, early researches on the role of antioxidants
focused on their use in preventing the oxidation of
unsaturated fats which is a major cause of rancidity
(Nelson and Cox, 2005), recent advancements have been
made to include: the influence of smoking on vitamin C
status in adults [10] , the role of antioxidants in macular
degeneration and vision loss [1].
However, it was the identification of vitamins A, C and E as
antioxidants that revolutionized this field of interest
especially in the relative importance of the interactions
between these different antioxidants and other
biochemical markers of oxidant status and free radical
activities among smokers. This investigation examines the
changes in serum total antioxidant capacity among some
selected Nigerian smokers in apparent good health.
Materials and methods:
Subjects: Twenty (20) consenting and free-living Nigerian
cigarette smokers in apparent good health and who were
between the ages of 19 and 45 years, selected from
smokers matched in age, sex and social status enlisted as
control subjects after seeking and obtaining consent
participated in this study.
Collection of blood specimen:
About 2ml of blood sample was collected from each
consenting subject into plain sterile bottle using the vene
puncture technique. The collected whole blood was
centrifuged at 1200xg for about 5min at room temperature
(29-310C) to separate the serum and decanted into bijou
bottle and stored frozen for analysis carried out within 48
hours.
Serum total Antioxidant capacity determination:
The total antioxidant capacity was estimated by the
inhibition of ABTS (2,2-diazino-3-ethylbenzthiazoline
sulphonate) by metmyoglobin as previously described[2].
The commercial Cayman chemical antioxidant assay kit
was used.
Statistics:
The Student’s t-Test was employed to analyse data and
means were considered significance at p< 0.05 [8].
Results:
Results of serum total antioxidant capacity measured in
twenty (20) consenting Nigerian cigarette smokers and
twenty (20) non- smokers in apparent good health are
presented in Table 1

1 Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences© (JPBMS), Vol. 18, Issue 18

 Onyesom I. et al. / JPBMS, 2012, 18 (14)
Table 1 : Serum total antioxidant capacity for cigarette smokers
Serum total antioxidant capacity (nM)
Cigarette smokers Non-Cigarette
smokers
Male (n=15) 1.45±0.23* 1.92±0.22
Female (n=5) 1.65±0.16* 1.88±0.16
Total (n=20) 1.55±0.20* 1.90±0.19
Values are expressed as Mean ±SD for “n” subjects.
* Significantly lower (P<0.05) than comparable non-smokers’ value.
The serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of male
smokers was lower than their female counterpart (Table
1), but the male non-smokers had higher TAC value
compared with the non-smoking females (Table 1).
Overall, males had higher TAC (P>0.05); however,
cigarette smoking significantly reduced (P<0.05) the
capacity when compared with the female counterpart and
non-smoking male and female subjects.
Discussion:
Active smokers are exposed to free radicals; oxygen free
radicals and other oxygen derived species including
superoxide hydroxyl radicals and peroxyl derivatives
which are highly reactive oxygen species (ROS) that causes
a wide spectrum of cell damage including enzyme
inactivation, lipid peroxidation, protein and lipoprotein
oxidation as well as DNA damage[5].
Plasma concentrations of some antioxidants have been
shown to be significantly lower in passive smoking infants
and their mothers than their non-passive smoking infants
and their mothers with significant correlation between the
oxidative and antioxidative biomarkers of the passive
smoking infants and their mothers [2].
The positive associations between cigarette smoking and
diseases such as cancer and coronary heart diseases have
been observed in a population-based study of 451
Australian women investigated between 1982 and 1984 [3].
Differences in dietary pattern between smokers and non-
smokers have been partially implicated for such reported
positive correlation.
It has been established that there is a negative correlation
between cigarette smoking and serum vitamin C levels and
this negative associations is independent of age, sex, body
weight, race and alcoholic beverage consumption when a
group of 11,592 respondents in the Second National Health
and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II) was
analysed [10].
Corresponding Author:-
Dr. I. Onyesom.,
Postal Address: P.O. Box 144, Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria.
Contact no: +2348030528016
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2 Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences© (JPBMS), Vol. 18, Issue 18
It was hypothesized that the pathogenesis of diseases
induced by cigarette smoking involves oxidative damage
by free radicals and this led to the investigation of the
levels of F2-isoprostanes; a product of lipid peroxidation
which was shown to be significantly higher in smokers
than in non-smokers[6].
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