Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The dependence on tobacco, diagnosis F 17, is an independent condition in the International classification of diseases and presents one of the most widespread addictions. Chronic smoking can cause impairment of fertility in both sexes. However, only a small number of studies were dedicated to the influence of smoking on levels of steroid hormones and their neuroactive metabolites. Neuroactive steroids modulate the effects of tobacco on central nervous system, and also the severity of tobacco dependence. In our study we compared the levels of neuroactive steroids in men smokers and non-smokers and we looked for a possible predictive marker of success in smoking cessation.

Methods: We examined 76 men before initiating the smoking cessation, after 6 weeks and after 1-year of abstinence. According to the success we divided our samples to three groups, 26 men were successful in smoking cessation, 16 men stopped smoking only for 6 weeks and 34 men did not stop smoking at all. We collected samples from a control group of 20 male non-smokers. We measured basic anthropometric data, levels of steroid hormones and their neuroactive metabolites by GC–MS.The local Ethics Committee approved the study and all patients have signed an informed consent form before taking part in the study.

Results: Comparing smokers and non-smokers, we have found lower levels of testosterone, as well as higher levels of FSH, in smokers. Lower levels of testosterone and some neuroactive metabolites of androgens were associated with failure in smoking cessation.

Conclusion: The levels of testosterone and neuroactive metabolites in men successful in smoking cessation were the closest to the levels in the control group. The greater disorder of steroidogenesis, the less probable the success.

Funding: The study was supported by grants No. NT 12340-5 and NT 13890-4 IGA MZCR.