Correlation between smokeless tobacco (Gutkha) and biomarkers of oxidative stress in plasma with cardiovascular effects

Fareeda Begum Shaik; G Nagajothi; K Swarnalatha; Chitta Suresh Kumar; W Rajendra; Narendra Maddu

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05487

Correlation between smokeless tobacco (Gutkha) and biomarkers of oxidative stress in plasma with cardiovascular effects

Heliyon. 2021 Feb 12;7(2):e05487. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05487. eCollection 2021 Feb.

Authors

Fareeda Begum Shaik¹, G Nagajothi², K Swarnalatha¹, Chitta Suresh Kumar¹, W Rajendra³, Narendra Maddu¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry, Sri Krishna Devaraya University, Ananthapuramu, 515003, A.P, India.
² Department of Corporate Secretaryship, Queen Mary's College (Autonomous), Chennai, T.N, India.
³ Division of Molecular Biology, Department of Zoology, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, 517502, A.P, India.

Abstract

Tobacco products are widely consumed around the world in smoking and smokeless tobacco (SLT) forms. Analysis of smokeless tobacco consumption suggested that the effects of nicotine and tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines, the main ingredients of smokeless tobacco are attractive to study because its consumption often results in biochemical changes of plasma parameters and markers of oxidative stress development. Smokeless tobacco users generally consume the most commonly available SLT products like khaleja brand of gutkha and mahak chaini brand of khaini 3-5 times per day. We found a significant increase in plasma glucose levels, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and a significant decrease in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol indicative of atherosclerosis risk. We also found that the plasma peroxynitrites (ONOO^-), nitric oxide (NO), lipid peroxidation (LPO), and protein carbonyls (PCO) levels were significantly elevated. Plasma nicotine and cotinine levels were significantly elevated in study subjects, suggesting that nicotine could be responsible for the oxidative and nitrosative stress indirectly inducing cardiovascular risk. There was a strong correlation of nicotine with reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), cholesterol, and creatinine in exposed smokeless tobacco (gutkha) consumers. These data demonstrate SLT users are at high cardiovascular risk due to nicotine-induced free radicals and oxidative damage.

Keywords: Biochemistry; Cardiovascular risk; Cotinine; Metabolite; Molecular biology; Nicotine; Proteins; Reactive nitrogen species; Reactive oxygen species; Toxicology.