Journal List > Korean J Lab Med > v.29(1) > 1011522

Song, Park, Lee, Cho, Kim, Lee, Choi, and Lee: Concentrations of Blood Vitamin A, C, E, Coenzyme Q10 and Urine Cotinine Related to Cigarette Smoking Exposure

Abstract

Background

In smokers, smoking causes many disease entities including cancers, chronic pulmonary diseases and cardiovascular diseases. Passive smoking is also accepted as a carcinogen and its adverse health effects are emphasized. We measured blood vitamin A, C, E (α-, β- and γ-tocopherol), coenzyme Q10 and urine cotinine concentrations in nonsmokers and smokers.

Methods

Twenty-one healthy nonsmokers and 24 healthy smokers were included in this study. Smoking status was assessed with a self-reported questionnaire. Plasma was analyzed for coenzyme Q10 and serum for vitamin A, C, E using HPLC (Agilent Technologies Inc., USA) and random urine for cotinine using LC/tandem mass spectrometry (Applied Biosystems Inc., Canada).

Results

Smokers had significantly lower serum concentrations of vitamin C than nonsmokers (P=0.0005). No significant differences in concentrations of serum vitamin A, E, and plasma coenzyme Q10 were observed. Smokers had highly elevated urine cotinine levels (1,454±903 ng/mL). In 16 (76.2%) of 21 nonsmokers, urine cotinine was detected (3.25±4.08 ng/mL). The correlations between urine cotinine and blood antioxidants levels were not found. Neither, the correlation between smoking status and blood antioxidants & urine cotinine was found.

Conclusions

This study shows that smokers had significantly lower vitamin C levels among nonenzymatic antioxidants, namely, vitamin A, C, E and coenzyme Q10. High detection rate of urine cotinine in nonsmokers show the seriousness of passive smoking exposure, therefore more social efforts should be directed to reduce passive smoking exposure.

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Fig. 1.
Distribution of concentrations of urine cotinine in nonsmokers.
kjlm-29-10f1.tif
Table 1.
The HPLC detection conditions for measuring serum vitamin A, C, E and plasma coenzyme Q10
Cases Vitamin A Vitamin C Vitamin E Coenzyme Q10
Column Hypersil ODS Hypersil ODS Hypersil silica Hypersil ODS
  (250×4.0 mm, 5 μm) (250×4.0 mm, 5 μm) (200×4.6 mm, 5 μm) (250×4.6 mm, 10 μm)
Mobile phase Methanol: ACN=70:30 5 mM CTAB+50 mM KH2PO4 n-hexane: IPA=90:10 Methanol: ethanol=90:10
Flow rate 0.5 mL/min 1.0 mL/min 0.7 mL/min 1.7 mL/min
Detector 325 nm, UV absorbance 254 nm, UV absorbance 295 nm, UV absorbance 275 nm, UV absorbance
Injection volume 20 μL 20 μL 10 μL 30 μL

Abbreviations: ACN, acetonitrile; CTAB, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide; IPA, isopropanol; HPLC, high pressure liquid chromatography.

Table 2.
The LC/MS/MS detection conditions of urine cotinine
Items Condition
LC  
 Mobile phase 2 mM ammonium acetate+0.1% formic acid (in 50% methanol)
 Column Zorbox SB-CN (50×4.6 mm, 3.5 μm)
 Flow rate 0.33 mL/min
Mass  
 Ion source Turbo ion spray
 Scan mode MRM mode
 Polarity Positive
 Cotinine mass Q1:177.1, Q3:80.1
 Cotinine-d3 mass Q1:180.1, Q3:80.1
 Temperature 300°C

Abbreviation: LC/MS/MS, liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

Table 3.
Blood concentrations of antioxidants in nonsmokers and smokers
Antioxidant (mg/L) Non-smokers (N=21) Smokers (N=24) P value
Mean±SD Range Mean±SD Range
Vitamin A 1.04±0.65 0.16-2.73 1.11±0.66 0.35-2.52 0.3094
Vitamin C 14.09±12.28 0.29-43.09 4.08±3.89 0.03-16.27 0.0005
Vitamin E          
α-tocopherol 9.31±3.29 0.05-17.14 9.47±3.50 2.10-20.19 0.4806
 β-tocopherol 0.05±0.11 0.06-0.53 0.16±0.18 0.06-0.76 NA
 γ-tocopherol 0.60±0.45 0.08-0.61 0.54±0.68 0.08-1.99 0.2748
 Total (α, β, γ-tocopherol) 9.94±3.50 0.13-18.76 10.14±4.03 2.18-22.83 0.3628
Coenzyme Q10 0.89±0.46 0.41-2.21 0.71±0.32 0.18-1.51 0.2698

significantly different.

Abbreviation: NA, not applied.

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