Smoking and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: Part II: Role of Cigarette Smoking in Cardiovascular Disease Development

Potential mechanisms and biomarkers of atherosclerosis related to cigarette smoking - a modifiable risk factor for that disease - are discussed in this article. These include smoking-associated inflammatory markers, such as leukocytes, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, ICAM-1 and IL-6. Other reviewed markers are indicative for smoking-related impairment of arterial endothelial function (transcapillary leakage of albumin, inhibition of endogenous nitric oxide synthase activity and reduced endothelium-dependent vasodilation) or point to oxidative stress caused by various chemicals (cholesterol oxidation, autoantibodies to oxidized low-density lipoprotein, plasma levels of malondialdehyde and F(2)-isoprostanes and reduced antioxidant capacity). Smoking enhances platelet aggregability, increases blood viscosity and shifts the pro- and antithrombotic balance towards increased coagulability (e.g., fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor, ICAM-1 and P-selectin). Insulin resistance is higher in smokers compared with nonsmokers, and hemoglobin A1c is dose-dependently elevated, as is homocysteine. Smoke exposure may influence the kinetics of markers with different response to transient or chronic changes in cigarette smoking behavior.