Epidemiologic evidence suggests that cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for chronic
obstructive pulmonary diseases such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema, for
carcinogenesis, and for cardiovascular disease. However, the precise mechanisms of these
effects are incompletely understood. The gas phase of cigarette smoke contains abundant
free radicals including nitric oxide. Hence, cigarette smoke may induce some of its
damaging effects by free radical mechanisms. We report that exposure of plasma, a model …