Analysis of Endogenous Antioxidants of Rat Blood Exposed to E-Cigarette

Background and Objective: E-cigarettes (e-cig) produce smoke with high levels of free oxidants, which can be eliminated by endogenous antioxidants such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) in the human body. The GPx catabolizes hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), while catalase counteracts free radicals by catalyzing H2O2 into H2O and O2. However, oxidative stress is shown in the imbalance condition between free oxidants and endogenous antioxidants. The effect of e-cigarette smoking on the human body has not been discovered. Therefore, this research aimed to analyze the levels of GPx and CAT in the rat blood exposed to e-cig. Materials and Methods: The exposure to smoke with nicotine 3, 6 and 9 mg was applied to 30 rats divided into five groups for 30 days. The analysis results by one-way ANOVA showed significant differences in the GPx and CAT levels between the control and treatment groups. Nicotine at 9 mg gave the GPx level at 40.25±2.03 U mgG1 and CAT at 2.46±0.50 nmol mLG1. Results: The results indicated that e-cigarette smoke reduced the levels of endogenous antioxidants in rat blood. Moreover, the body weight of rats increased and decreased due to the unstable metabolic rate. Conclusion: Exposure to e-cigarette smoke has an effect on reducing glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) levels in rat blood.