Evaluation of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Biomarkers in Chronic Cigarette Smokers: A Pilot Study

Introduction The present study was undertaken to assess the status of oxidative stress in chronic cigarette smokers. Materials and methods Thirty adult male chronic cigarette smokers and an equal number of age and sex-matched normal subjects from the Deoghar district of Jharkhand state, India, were included in the study. The status of lipid peroxidation was determined using malondialdehyde (MDA), and the activities of enzymic antioxidants, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), were determined using standard protocols. Results Results showed that the serum MDA levels were significantly increased, and the enzymic antioxidants were markedly decreased in chronic cigarette smokers compared to the normal subjects. Conclusion Our study demonstrated that oxidative stress is more pronounced in cigarette smokers compared to non-smokers. The number of cigarettes smoked plays a crucial role in increasing the reactive oxygen species and decreasing the cellular antioxidants.