Study of a marker of oxidative stress in smokers: The malondialdehyde

Objectives. - This study aims to investigate the variation of malondialdehyde (MDA) in smokers and to determine the correlation between this parameter with smoking status parameters (number of cigarettes smoked per day and consumption duration). Methods. - This study was conducted on 138 non smokers and 162 smokers aged respectively 35.55 +/- 16.03 and 38.47 +/- 21.91 years. For the determination of MDA, we used the thiobarbituric acid method. Results. - We found significant increase in MDA (8.22 +/- 2.52 vs 6.60 +/- 3.77; P < 10(-4)) in smokers compared to non smokers before and after adjustment. After adjustment for potentials confounder factors such as lipid profile, BMI, age and gender, we noted a significant association between smoking status and higher levels of MDA levels. In smokers, we found a positive significant correlation between MDA and number of cigarette smoked per day (r = 0.535; P < 10(-4)). MDA levels were significantly higher in subjects smoking more than 40 cigarettes per day compared to those smoking less than 20 cigarettes per day. Moreover, we found that smoking multiplies by 2.8 the risk of an increase in MDA. In addition, among smokers, we found that the risk of an increase in MDA increases with the number of cigarettes smoked per day and with consumption duration. Conclusion. - The evaluation of oxidative stress in smokers may then be regarded as a key element to integrate into the clinical and laboratory followed smokers for better prevention of cardiovascular disease. (C) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.