Turkish Journal of Biochemistry, cilt.34, sa.4, ss.215-219, 2009 (SCI-Expanded)
Aim: As the leading cause of adult mortality for many countries, lung cancer was considered to be related with free radical injury. We aimed to investigate if the oxidative stress is increased or not in malignant tissues, compared to the normal ones in non small cell lung cancer. Methods: We compared malignant and normal lung tissues for their malondialdehyde, total thiol and vitamin E contents in 35 smoker patients with non small cell lung cancer. Results: There was no significant difference between malignant and normal tissues for malondialdehyde and total thiol concentrations (p>0.05). However, vitamin E contents of the malignant tissues were significantly higher than the normal tissues (p<0.05). Conclusion: Similar malondialdehyde levels in malignant and normal tissues suggest that cigarette smoke induces a diffuse increase of free radical formation in lung tissue, rather than a focal response. In malignant tissues, malondialdehyde formation might be prevented by high tissue levels of vitamin E. 2009 © TurkJBiochem.com.