ABSTRACT
Morbidity and mortality attributed to cigarette smoking is a well-known risk factor for diseases and different type of cancers. Free radicals generated by smoking enter into circulation and interacts with blood constituents and RBC membrane thereby causing pathophysiological changes. Herbal extracts have been reported as anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory supplements, which attenuates free radical induced oxidative stress, among which green tea (Camellia sinensis) has been reported as the elixir of life due to its innumerable health benefits. The present study investigates the protective effect of green tea consumption against cigarette smoking-induced oxidative stress on RBC morphology, membrane properties. Blood samples were collected from 120 selected human male volunteers categorized into four groups viz., controls, smokers, control volunteers consuming green tea with no habit of smoking and smokers consuming green tea were analyzed. Results of this study showed that significantly altered membrane lipid peroxidation, protein carbonyls, -SH groups, ATPases, individual phospholipids, morphological changes in RBC structure and membrane proteins as evident by SDS-PAGE in smokers. Besides, smokers showed decreased activities of antioxidant status. The adverse changes observed in the above parameters in smokers were preserved upon supplementation of green tea. In conclusion, the presence of phenols, flavonoids and tannins, in particular, catechins in green tea might be responsible for the observed protection against smoking-induced alterations in blood.