Key Points
- To investigate the impact of chronic cigarette smoking on platelet membrane fluidity, lipid composition, and Na+/K+-ATPase activity.
- Enrolled 30 chronic smokers (smoking 10±2 cigarettes daily for 7–10 years; mean age 35±8 years) and 30 healthy control subjects.
- Quantified plasma lipid profiles, oxidative markers (protein carbonyls and sulfhydryl groups), platelet Na+/K+-ATPase activity, and platelet lipid composition.
- Assessed platelet membrane fluidity using 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) fluorescence.
- Smokers exhibited higher platelet membrane cholesterol-to-phospholipid ratios, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylserine, accompanied by increased plasma total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and protein carbonyls.
- Smokers demonstrated lower platelet membrane fluidity, Na+/K+-ATPase activity, phosphatidylcholine, plasma HDL-cholesterol, and sulfhydryl groups, with no significant differences in phosphatidylinositol or sphingomyelin.
- Platelet membrane total phospholipids correlated positively with plasma LDL-cholesterol (r=0.568) and VLDL-cholesterol (r=0.614) in smokers.
Structured PICO
Does chronic cigarette smoking alter platelet membrane fluidity and Na+/K+-ATPase activity?
PPopulation30 experimental (chronic cigarette smokers) and control subjects, mean age 35+/-8 years. Experimental subjects smoked 10+/-2 cigarettes per day for 7-10 years.
IInterventionChronic cigarette smoking (10+/-2 cigarettes per day for 7-10 years)
CComparatorControl subjects (non-smokers)
OOutcomePlatelet membrane fluidity and Na+/K+-ATPase activitysurrogate
Chronic cigarette smoking alters platelet membrane lipid composition and decreases membrane fluidity, providing a potential mechanistic link to increased thrombosis and cardiovascular events.