EPR Study of the Toxicological Effects
of Gas-Phase Cigarette Smoke and the Protective Effects
of Grape Seed Extract on the Mitochondrial Membrane
Abstract. EIectron paramagnetic resonance spin trapping and spin labeling techniques were used to
study the effects of grape seed extract on the biophysical properties of the mitochondriat membrane
exposed to gas-phase cigarette smoke. The spin trapping results indicated that grape seed extract can
effectively scavenge free radicals in cigarette smoke and the lipid free radicals generated from the
lipid peroxidation of mitochondrial membrane caused by gas-phase cigarette smoke. The spin label-
ing results showed that grape seed extract can protect the mitochondrial membrane from the toxico-
logical damage caused by gas-phase cigarette smoke.
1 Introduction
Cigarette smoke is a major risk factor in carcinogenesis and heart disease [I,
2]. Among the various compounds in it, free radicals have been found to play
ah important role in cigarette smoke-induced cytotoxicity [3]. The cigarette smoke
was composed of a gas-phase substance anda solid-phase substance [4]. The
solid-phase substance can be cleaned partly by filters; however, the damaging
effects of gas-phase cigarette smoke (GPCS) are more difficult to prevent.
By stimulating lipid peroxidation, GPCS damages cell membrane lipids and
proteins and affects the membrane fluidity as well as the activities of membrane-
bound enzymes. By this mechanism, GPCS may be implicated in the pathogen-
esis of many diseases.