Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 8, 2025
Methods to Evaluate Cytotoxicity and Immunosuppression of Combustible Tobacco Product Preparations
Published on: January 10, 2015
Immunoglobulin free light chain-κ in association with NT-proBNP levels after smoking cessation
Maki Komiyama1,2, Swati Mittal1,3, Hajime Yamakage1
1Clinical Research Institute, National Hospital Organization Kyoto Medical Center, Kyoto, Japan.
Insights
Smoking cessation significantly reduces immunoglobulin free light chain-kappa (FLC-κ) levels, a key inflammatory marker. This reduction is linked to decreased cardiac load and inflammation, improving cardiovascular health.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Inflammation Research
- Public Health
Background:
- Smoking activates nuclear factor kappa B, increasing inflammation and immunoglobulin free light chain-kappa (FLC-κ) levels.
- Elevated FLC levels correlate with increased mortality and poorer cardiovascular disease prognoses.
- FLC-κ is implicated in smoking-induced cardiac and vascular inflammation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of smoking cessation (SC) on FLC levels.
- To analyze changes in inflammatory markers and heart failure indicators post-SC.
- To establish the relationship between FLC-κ reduction and other biomarkers after quitting smoking.
Main Methods:
- Enrolled first-visit smokers committed to quitting.
- Measured clinical parameters, including FLC and inflammatory markers, at baseline and 3 months post-SC.
- Analyzed correlations between FLC-κ changes and markers like C-reactive protein and NT-proBNP.
Main Results:
- Body-mass-index (BMI) significantly increased post-SC (p=0.004).
- Levels of FLC-κ, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte-ratio, and NT-proBNP significantly decreased after SC (p<0.05).
- FLC-κ changes correlated significantly with C-reactive protein (r=0.349, p=0.002) and NT-proBNP (r=0.332, p=0.005).
Conclusions:
- Smoking cessation leads to a significant decrease in FLC-κ, a novel cardiovascular risk biomarker.
- The reduction in FLC-κ is associated with decreased cardiac load (NT-proBNP) and inflammation.
- These findings highlight the cardiovascular benefits of smoking cessation.
Background:
Smoking induces inflammation in the heart and intima layer of blood vessels by activating nuclear factor kappa B, which controls the transcription of immunoglobulin free light chain (FLC)-κ. FLC levels are indicative of higher mortality in the overall population and poorer prognoses in cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to analyze the effect of smoking cessation (SC) on the levels of FLCs and markers of inflammation and heart failure.
Research Design And Methods:
This study enrolled first visit smokers determined to quit smoking at our hospital. Levels of various clinical parameters, including inflammatory markers, such as FLC, were measured on their first clinic visit and after 3 months of successful SC.
Results:
Body-mass-index (BMI) values significantly increased from baseline to 3 months after SC (n = 76, p = 0.004). Conversely, the levels of inflammatory markers including FLC-κ, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte-ratio and NT-proBNP significantly decreased after SC (p = 0.042, p = 0.024 and p = 0.030, respectively). Proportional changes in FLC-κ levels observed after SC showed a significant correlation with those of C-reactive-protein (r = 0.349, p = 0.002) and NT-proBNP (r = 0.332, p = 0.005) levels in the successful SC group.
Conclusions:
Levels of FLC-κ, a novel inflammatory and cardiovascular risk biomarker, decreased significantly after SC in association with NT-proBNP, suggesting the SC-induced reduction of cardiac load as well as a decrease in inflammation.
More Related Videos
09:52A Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Assay to Identify Novel NFAT2 Target Genes in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Published on: December 4, 2018
06:15Characterization of Thymus-dependent and Thymus-independent Immunoglobulin Isotype Responses in Mice Using Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay
Published on: September 7, 2018
