en Influence of Cigarette Smoking on the Activity of Salivary Alpha-Amylase عمومى General پژوهشي Research <span style="font-weight: bold">Introduction: </span>Tobacco smoke is involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases in different body systems. Saliva is the first body fluid that confront inhaled cigarette smoke which is injurious to the oral cavity and is associated with several oral diseases and cancer. The aim of our study was to evaluate the influence of smoking on the activity of alpha-amylase in the saliva of healthy smoker individuals. <br><span style="font-weight: bold">Material & Methods:</span> alpha-amylase was measured in the supernatant of centrifuged saliva of 25 volunteer smokers, before and just after smoking a single cigarette using the standard chemical methods. <br><span style="font-weight: bold">Results: </span>The enzymatic activity showed a significant inhibition following a single cigarette. Reduction in the enzymatic activity of saliva is most probably due to the interaction between smoke aldehydes and –SH groups of the enzyme molecules. <br><span style="font-weight: bold">Conclusions: </span>Based on the results obtained from the present study, it could be emphasized that smoking just one cigarette is sufficient to alter the salivary alpha- mylase enzymatic activities. Salivary Proteins Peptides , Salivary alpha-Amylases, Smoking Salivary Proteins Peptides , Salivary alpha-Amylases, Smoking 216 220 http://ijt.arakmu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-2-46&slc_lang=en&sid=1 R Sariri سریری sariri@guilan.ac.ir 10031947532846003339 10031947532846003339 Yes Department of Biochemistry, The University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran Department of Biochemistry, The University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran H Ghafoori غفوری 10031947532846003340 10031947532846003340 No Department of Biochemistry, The University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran Department of Biochemistry, The University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran A Varasteh وارسته 10031947532846003341 10031947532846003341 No Department of Biochemistry, The University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran Department of Biochemistry, The University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran A Erfani عرفانی 10031947532846003342 10031947532846003342 No Department of Internal Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences,Tehran, Iran Department of Internal Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences,Tehran, Iran