• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.65-70
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• 2004

Side-stream cigarette smoke (SSCS) is a major component of environmental tobacco smoke. The purpose of this study was to investigate the development of lung injury and lipid peroxidation in the lung and liver of immunodeficient (Nude) mice exposed to acute SSCS (a total 5 hours of exposure). The effects of French maritime bark extract (Pycnogeno $l^{ⓡ}$) supplementation of the mice were also determined. SSCS increased pulmonary resistance and lipid peroxidation in these mice. Pycnogeno $l^{ⓡ}$ supplementation increased vitamin E levels in lung and liver. In addition, Pycnogeno $l^{ⓡ}$ attenuated SSCS-mediated lung injury and lipid peroxidation. It appears that the enhanced resistance against SSCS-induced lung injury and lipid peroxidation may be primarily due to the antioxidant property of Pycnogeno $l^{ⓡ}$ in supplemented mice.