Effects of smoking on the levels of antioxidant beta carotene, alpha tocopherol and retinol in human ovarian follicular fluid.

The concentrations of beta-carotene, retinol and alpha-tocopherol were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography in ovarian follicular fluid and plasma samples collected at the time of oocyte recovery from patients enrolled in our in vitro fertilization program. The mean beta-carotene levels in follicular fluid [0.182 +/- (SEM) 0.04 nmol/ml] and plasma (0.37 +/- 0.34 mmol/ml) of smokers (n = 5) were significantly (p < 0.025 and p < 0.001, respectively) lower compared with the mean levels in follicular fluid (0.58 +/- 0.10 nmol/ml) and plasma (1.11 +/- 0.09 mmol/ml) in nonsmokers (n = 11). The follicular fluid and plasma retinol and alpha-tocopherol levels were comparable among the nonsmokers and smokers. These findings direct attention to a possible role of the antioxidant beta-carotene, per se, as a biological marker in ovarian oocyte follicular maturation and function.