[Protection against tobacco smoke--compounds and substances of natural orgin].

Tobacco smoke contains thousands of ingredients, including those causing serious respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and which are carcinogens or cancer promoters. Plants and plant products have antioxidant properties and have a protective role against cancer defined as chemoprevention. This paper presents an overview of published experiments on the protective effect against tobacco smoke or its by compounds and raw materials of natural origin, from plants mainly. These were: N-acetyl-L-cysteine, vitamin C, A and E, beta-carotene, lycopene, andrographolide, farnesol, resveratrol, marigold and tea. These studies were carried out on experimental animals or animal or human cells, which were exposed to cigarette smoke or its extract, or components of tobacco smoke. The studies have shown that the mentioned compounds and raw materials have a protective effect against the harmful effects of tobacco smoke. Mechanisms of action were different--the increase of the level of glutathione and antioxidant enzymes, prevention DNA strand breakage and lipid peroxidation, increased accumulation of the transcription factor Nrf2 that controls the expression of antioxidant genes. Authors frequently suggested that the investigated compounds and the materials may have similar protective effects against tobacco smoke in humans.