Passive smoking effect on the oxidative stress at children suffering from bronchial asthma

It is assumed that high prevalence of asthma is consequently affected by the environmental factors, uncovering preexisting susceptibility, by the activation of local tissue specific operative genes with activation of inflammation in airways, involving the participation of oxidative stress. In that way can be explained the influence of close connected environmental factors, such as tobacco smoke exposure, which contributes to the development of asthma. The aim of our study is to examine the effects of passive smoking on oxidative stress in chronic inflammation of air ways, in mild and moderate persistent asthma, children aged 7-18. The study includes 110 children (80 of these with asthma and 30 healthy children). The asthmatics were divided into groups depending on tobacco smoke exposure and also taking into account the status of applied corticosteroid therapy one month before including them into the study. In vein blood samples in all participants were determined the presence of cotinine, carboxyhaemoglobin levels, thiobarbuturate acid reactive substances, the activity of super oxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, levels of C reactive protein, the number of leucocytes and the percent of eosinophiles in peripheral blood. In exhaled air, nitric oxide level was determined, followed by the functional lung examination by spirometry, and the allergologic tests were done to most frequent inhalatory allergens using prick test. According to obtained results, it is concluded that in asthmatics persists elevated oxidative stress and eosinophile inflammation in lungs, while passive smoking and corticosteroid therapy have no effects on the level of thiobarbuturate acid reactive substances, but they have effect on antioxidative capacity of examined enzymes. In passive smoking asthmatics without corticosteroid therapy, the super oxide dismutase activity was significantly lower. In passive smoking asthmatics with corticosteroid therapy, the glutathione peroxidase was a significantly lower activity . This study confirms a significant role of passive smoking reduction as a prevention from the asthma development in children