Toxicologic damage of gas phase cigarette smoke on cells and the protective effect of green tea polyphenols

Abstract

A mouse fibroblast cell line, Chinese hamster lung V79 cell, was used to assess the toxicological effect of gas phase cigarette smoke (GPCS) on cells and the protective effect of green tea polyphenols (GTP). Exposure of the cultured V79 cells to GPCS decreased cell viability and caused lipid peroxidation of cell membrane as measured by thiobarbituric acid reaction. Electron spin resonance (ESR) spin trapping and spin labeling studies indicated that GPCS exposure could increase the fluidity in the polar surface of cell membrane, but the membrane fluidity in the hydrophobic region was not affected. The conformation of sulfhydryl binding sites on membrane was changed. GTP itself had no effect on the polar surface of membrane nor changed the conformation of sulfhydryl binding sites on membrane proteins in the concentration used in this experiment. Incubation of V79 cells with GTP aqueous solution before GPCS treatment could decrease cell death and lipid peroxidation and inhibit the changes of the biophysical properties of cell membrane induced by GPCS in a dose-dependent manner. Also GTP could scavenge the free radicals generated by GPCS. These results indicate that GPCS can induce lipid peroxidation and affect the biophysical properties of cell membrane, which may account for the toxicity of GPCS, and that GTP can prevent these changes possibly by scavenging the free radicals in GPCS and inhibiting the membrane lipid peroxidation.