@article{article_343480, title={HOMOCYSTEINE LEVELS OF RATS CHRONICALLY TREATED WITH NICOTINE}, journal={Ege Journal of Medicine}, volume={42}, pages={13–17}, year={2003}, author={Önal, Aytül and Ülker, Sibel and Evinç, Akgün}, keywords={nicotine, homocysteine, rat, smoking}, abstract={Cigarette smoking has detrimental effects on the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems and among the contents of tobacco, nicotine shows considerable medical significance because of its toxicity. Homocysteine is an intermediate metabolite of methionine and increased levels of homocysteine may underlie atherosclerosis. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between the levels of homocysteine and nicotine in female and male rats which were treated with nicotine (0.35, 1.05 and 2.1 mg/kg, subcutaneously) for 20 days. Blood was obtained by cardiac puncture and serum cotinine levels, as an index of nicotine exposed, and homocysteine levels were measured by “Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA)” and “Fluorescence Polarization Immunoassay (FPIA)” respectively. Nicotine administration resulted in a dose dependent increase in the serum cotinine levels of the rats. Homocysteine levels were higher in female rats than male rats both in control and nicotine-administered groups, however nicotine treatment did not significantly change homocysteine levels in either sex. These results suggest that there is no direct correlation between plasma homocysteine levels and chronic nicotine exposure.}, number={1}, publisher={Ege University}