The challenge with cigarette smoke - the way to predict lung disease development in the future

Abstract

Introduction: It is well known that around 20% of smokers develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), while 15-24% of smokers develop lung cancer. However, most people are resistant to tobacco smoke. The body’s ability to neutralize toxic compounds can vary from person to person and can lead to in different susceptibility to cancer and COPD.

The aim of this study was to determine whether the degradation pattern of some of the most common toxic agents present in cigarette smoke could predict the development of lung pathology later in the life.

Methods: We analyzed the changes in the concentration of 20 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the exhaled air of 17 volunteer smokers before and within 2 hours after smoking. Exhaled air was adsorbed in adsorption tubes and subsequently analyzed by gas chromatography / mass spectrometry.

Results: Immediately after smoking, concentrations of both aromatic and aliphatic VOCs increased rapidly. Higher maximum concentrations were found in younger smokers with shorter smoking histories. The clearance patterns of toxic compounds measured in exhaled air were different for each individual. Examined persons reproduced their characteristic response patterns in repeated trials.

Conclusions: We hypothesize that the individual's body response pattern to the challenge with cigarette smoke reflects the potency of subjects to inactivate certain toxic compounds, and thus may be indicative of predisposition to certain smoke-related lung diseases. As this is a pilot study, further data collection is needed to validate the hypothesis.