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Updated: May 13, 2026
Impact of Intracardiac Neurons on Cardiac Electrophysiology and Arrhythmogenesis in an Ex Vivo Langendorff System
Published on: May 22, 2018
Sidestream cigarette smoke and cardiac autonomic regulation
Vitor E Valenti1, Luiz Carlos M Vanderlei, Celso Ferreira
1Department of Speech Language and Hearing therapy, Faculty of Philosophy and Sciences, UNESP, Av, Higyno Muzzi Filho, 737, Marilia, SP 17,525-900, Brazil. vitor.valenti@gmail.com.
Background:
The literature has already demonstrated that cigarette influences the cardiovascular system. In this study, we performed a literature review in order to investigate the relationship between sidestream cigarette smoke (SSCS) and cardiac autonomic regulation.
Methods:
Searches were performed on Medline, SciELO, Lilacs and Cochrane databases using the crossing between the key-words: "cigarette smoking", "autonomic nervous system", "air pollution" and "heart rate variability".
Results:
The selected studies indicated that SSCS exposure affects the sympathetic and parasympathetic responses to changes in arterial blood pressure. Moreover, heart rate responses to environmental tobacco smoke are increased in smokers compared to non-smokers. The mechanism involved on this process suggest increased oxidative stress in brainstem areas that regulate the cardiovascular system.
Conclusion:
Further studies are necessary to add new elements in the literature to improve new therapies to treat cardiovascular disorders in subjects exposed to sidestream cigarette smoke.
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