Effects of Folic Acid on the Level of Nicotine-Induced Plasma Homocysteine in Rats;In a view of applying the results to Oriental Medicine-Formula for controlling withdrawal symptoms after stopping smoking

엽산 투여에 의한 니코틴-유도 혈장 homocysteine 농도에 대한 영향과 금단증상 완화를 위한 한의학적 처방에 대한 고찰

Homocysteine is a sulfur amino-acid produced during the metabolism of the essential amino acid methionine. Moderately increased plasma total homocysteine concentration have been implicated as a risk factor for occlusive vascular disease. Smoking is known to be one of the most significant factors leading to elevated plasma homocysteine concentration. However, the main component of a cigarette, nicotine has been not studied whether it is linked directly to the increase of homocysteine concentration in blood. The metabolism of homocysteine is closely linked to that of its cofactors, folate. Here, the effects of nicotine and folic acid on amount of plasma homocysteine were studied. The concentration of homocysteine was increased by about 70% in rat plasma after nicotine treatment for one month. This increased concentration of homocysteine was reduced by about 60% at 6 hours later after folate treatment. Thus, nicotine should be directly involved in increasing the concentration of plasma homocysteine. Also it is suggested that these results can be and applied and used for controlling withdrawal symptoms after stopping smoking as one of oriental medicine formulas.