Non-enzymatic Antioxidant Status and Biochemical Parameters in the Consumers of Pan Masala Containing Tobacco

Background: Tobacco consumption is one of the leading causes of oral submucous fibrosis, oral cancerand even premature death. The present study was designed to compare the biochemical parameters and nonenzymaticantioxidant status and the lipid peroxidation products in pan masala tobacco users as compared withage-matched non-user controls.
Methods: Pan masala and tobacco users of age 33.2±9.94 years and age-matchedcontrols (31.2±4.73 years) were enrolled for the study. Plasma levels of vitamin E, vitamin C, albumin, bilirubin,uric acid, glucose, urea, creatinine, aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT) weremeasured by standard methods. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were estimated as a measure of lipidperoxidation.
Results: In the pan masala tobacco users, as compared to the controls, the level of vitamin C(68.5±5.9 vs 97.9±9.03 μmol/L, p≤0.05) vitamin E (18.4±5.3 vs 97.9±9.03 μmol/L, p≤0.001), albumin (37.5±7.01vs 44.3±9.99 g/L, p≤0.001), and malondialdehyde (10.8±1.29 vs 1.72±1.15 nmol/ml, p≤0.001 ) were found to besignificantly altered. Malondialdehyde was significantly correlated with vitamin E (r=1.00, p<0.001) and vitaminC (r =1.00, p<0.001) in pan masala tobacco users. Serum levels of AST (31.0±16.77 IU) and ALT (36.7±31.3 IU) inthe pan masala tobacco users were significantly raised as compared to the controls (AST, 25.2±9.51 IU, p=0.038;ALT, 26.2±17.9 IU, p=0.038).
Conclusion: These findings suggest that pan masala tobacco users are in a stateof oxidative stress promoting cellular damage. Non-enzymatic antioxidants are depleted in pan masala tobaccousers with subsequent alteration in the biochemical parameters. Supplementation of antioxidants may preventoxidative damage in pan masala tobacco users.