A total of 59 healthy male subjects (32 smokers and 27 nonsmokers) who had no reported systemic disease and did not take alcohol and vitamin supplementation were included. The levels of autoantibody to oxidized low-density lipoproteins (ox-LDL) in smokers and age-matched nonsmokers were compared. The plasma levels of antioxidants that can affect the formation of ox-LDL were also measured, and correlation analyses between anti ox-LDL IgG and plasma antioxidants, controlling for age and body mass index (BMI), were performed. Plasma alpha-tocopherol and uric acid concentrations of nonsmokers (2.78+/-1.09 microg/mg total lipid and 6.96+/-1.69 mg/dl, respectively) were significantly higher than those of smokers (1.68+/-0.48 microg/mg total lipid and 6.15+/-1.14 mg/dl, respectively) (P<0.05). Although plasma ascorbate and retinol levels were not significantly different between smokers and nonsmokers, smokers older than 45 years old had significantly lower plasma ascorbate levels (0.32+/-0.17 mg/dl) than age-matched nonsmokers (0. 53+/-0.14 mg/dl) (P=0.036). Higher level of plasma anti ox-LDL IgG was noted in the group of smokers compared with nonsmokers (515+/-409 mU/ml vs. 407+/-268 mU/ml, respectively) under the statistic method of Chi-Square test (P=0.049). A significant negative correlation was found between plasma anti ox-LDL IgG and alpha-tocopherol in the combined population as well as in the smoker group (r=-0.26, p=0.047; r=-0.48, p=0.006; respectively). However, there was no correlation between plasma anti ox-LDL IgG and the levels of other antioxidants. These results suggest that reduced concentrations of alpha-tocopherol are associated with cigarette smoking. The significantly negative correlation between plasma anti ox-LDL IgG and alpha-tocopherol in the entire study population as well as in the smoker group suggests that plasma alpha-tocopherol may be partially effective if not totally at protecting LDL from oxidative damage caused by cigarette smoking and dietary supplementation with alpha-tocopherol may provide a protective effect against LDL oxidation, especially in smokers.