[Does tobacco smoke influence the concentration of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) in healthy males plasma?].

Toxic effects of tobacco smoke may manifest by the increase of concentration of aterogenic compounds in the human body. One of them is asymmetric dimetyloarginine (ADMA) which is perceived not only as a significant risk factor of endothelium dysfunction and cardiovascular disease but also predicts all-cause and cardiovascular mortality independently of established and emerging cardiovascular risk factor. The aim of this work was to check to what degree ADMA concentration in plasma changes for people exposed to tobacco smoke in various intensity. The study population consisted of 168 healthy males between the age of 18 and 60. The exposure to tobacco smoke in examined groups was determined on the basis of questionnaires and cotinine concentration in plasma. Three groups were selected: non-smokers (53 people), passive smokers (48 people) and active smokers (67 people). Insignificant differences of ADMA concentration between passive and active smokers in relation to non-smokers were determined, 15.4% (0.45 vs. 0.39 mmol/l,) and 7.7% (0.42 vs. 0.39 mmol/l) respectively. There was no significant relationship between concentration of ADMA and cotinine in plasma (r=0.173; p=0.239 for passive smokers and r=0.218; p=0.076 for active smokers). The results obtained indicate that tobacco smoke has small influence on ADMA level in healthy males' plasma.