A comparative study of the plasma level of arginase and rhodanese in smokers and non-smokers

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to determine and compare the activities of arginase and rhodanese in the blood plasma of cigarette smokers and non-smokers. The activity of arginase in the blood plasma of smokers was higher than arginase activity in the non-smokers (NS), however, in the smokers with diseases (SWD), the increase was significant (p<0.0007). The comparison between the activity of rhodanese in the SWD, smokers without diseases (SWOD) and NS blood plasma revealed a decrease in the activity of rhodanese in NS and no significant difference in the three groups with p<0.8677. This paper reported the enhancing effect of cigarette smoking could have on the disease state of smokers due to high arginase activity.

Keywords; Rhodanese, Arginase, Cigarette smoking, Plasma

Nig. J. Physiol. Sci. 25(December 2010) 125 – 127