Erythrocytes from cigarette smokers contain more glutathione and catalase and protect endothelial cells from hydrogen peroxide better than do erythrocytes from nonsmokers.

Recent observations regarding the ability of intracellular erythrocyte (RBC) antioxidants to decrease O2 metabolite-mediated injury to lung tissues has prompted interest in the RBC antioxidants of patients with lung disease. We found that RBC from 14 healthy, age- and gender-matched cigarette smokers contained more (p less than 0.05) glutathione (6.3 +/- 0.4 microM/g Hgb versus 5.0 +/- 0.3 microM/g Hgb) and catalase (249,533 +/- 8,307 units/g Hgb versus 222,617 +/- 7,180 units/g Hgb) than did RBC from nonsmokers. In contrast, RBC from cigarette smokers and nonsmokers contained the same activities of glutathione peroxidase (21.4 +/- 1.2 units/g Hgb versus 20.4 +/- 5.5 units/g Hgb). RBC from cigarette smokers also protected bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells in culture from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) better (p less than 0.005) than did RBC from nonsmokers (52.1 +/- 6.1% protection versus 31.9 +/- 5.7% protection). The results suggest that alterations in RBC antioxidants may reflect exposure and/or affect susceptibility to oxidant-induced injury.