Objective To further reveal serious risks of heroin abuse to human body and clarify grave injuries of oxidation, peroxidation and lipoperoxidation induced by nitric oxide and other free radicals to heroin abusers Methods Determined and compared plasma levels of nitric oxide (P NO), vitamin C (P VC), vitamin E (P VE), β carotene (P β CAR), lipoperoxides (P LPO) and erythrocyte activities of superoxide dismutase (E SOD), catalase (E CAT), glutathione peroxidase (E GSH Px) and erythrocyte level of lipoperoxides (E LPO) in 137 cases of heroin abusers (HAs) and 100 cases of healthy volunteers (HVs), used linear regression and correlation, stepwise regression and correlation to analyze correlation among heroin abusing duration (HAD), daily heroin abusing quantity (DHAQ) with above determination values in the HAs Results Compared with the above average values in the HVs group, the average values of P NO, P LPO, E LPO in the HAs group were significantly increased ( P <0 0001), the average values of P VC, P VE, P β CAR, E SOD, E CAT and E GSH Px were significantly decreased ( P <0 0001); the analysis of linear regression and correlation showed that with ascending of the HAD and DHAQ in the HAs, the values of P NO, P LPO, E LPO were gradually increased ( P <0 0001), the values of P VC, P VE, P β CAR, E SOD, E CAT, E GSH Px were gradually decreased ( P <0 0001); the analysis of stepwise regression and correlation suggested that the correlation among the HAD, DHAQ with the values of P NO, P VC, P VE was the closest Conclusion The balance between oxidation and antioxidation in the HAs was seriously destroyed, and the injuries induced by nitric oxide and other free radicals, oxidation, peroxidation and lipoperoxidation reactions to the body of HAs gravely exacerbated In the abstaining from heroin dependence, therefore, it should consider that sufficient quantum antioxidants such as VC, VE and β CAR are dosed to the HAs so as to ab
