Researchers at Emory University in Atlanta (United States) exposed laboratory-grown leukocytes and fibroblasts to cigarette smoke with "antioxidant" filters and regular filters. 60% of the fibroblasts exposed to normal smoke remained alive 24 hours later, a percentage that rose to 95% when screened by the aforementioned filters. And the same thing happened with leukocytes after 40 minutes of exposure: 40% and 82%, respectively.
The antioxidant complex evaluated in the study was composed of L-glutathione, N-acetyl-L-cysteine and L-selenomethionine, amino acids with a recognized antioxidant capacity, and can also be mixed with the tobacco itself and the paper used to make cigarettes. and cigars. According to the authors, these products could limit the damage caused by free radicals from tobacco smoke in the oropharyngeal cavity, respiratory tract and lungs that result from tobacco smoke.
