Abstract
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been used widely as an alternative to conventional cigarettes and have become particularly popular among young adults. A growing body of evidence has shown that e-cigarettes are associated with acute lung injury and adverse effects in multiple other organs. Previous studies showed that high emissions of aldehydes (formaldehyde and acetaldehyde) in aerosols were associated with increased usage of the same e-cigarette coils. However, the impact on lung function of using aged coils has not been reported. We investigated the relationship between coil age and acute lung injury in mice exposed to experimental vaping for 1 h (2 puffs/min, 100 ml/puff). The e-liquid contains propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin (50:50, vol) only. The concentrations of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in the vaping aerosols increased with age of the nichrome coils starting at 1200 puffs. Mice exposed to e-cigarette aerosols produced from 1800, but not 0 or 900, puff-aged coils caused acute lung injury, increased lung wet/dry weight ratio, and induced lung inflammation (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, MIP-2). Exposure to vaping aerosols from 1800 puff-aged coils decreased heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation in mice compared to mice exposed to air or aerosols from new coils. In conclusion, we observed that the concentration of aldehydes (formaldehyde and acetaldehyde) increased with repeated and prolonged usage of e-cigarette coils. Exposure to high levels of aldehyde in vaping aerosol was associated with acute lung injury in mice. These findings show significant risk of lung injury associated with prolonged use of e-cigarette devices.
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Abbreviations
- EVALI:
-
E-cigarette or vaping product associated lung injury
- VEA:
-
Vitamin E acetate
- PG:
-
Propylene glycol
- VG:
-
Vegetable glycerin
- SpO2 :
-
Oxygen saturation
- IL:
-
Interleukin
- TNF:
-
Tumor necrosis factor
- MIP:
-
Macrophage inflammation protein
- OSHA:
-
Occupational safety and health administration
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Acknowledgements
This study was supported by NIH-NHLBI grant (3R01-HL142809-03S1) to Dr. Malhotra. This study was also partially supported by laboratory funds of the Anesthesia Center for Critical Care Research of the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. The authors would like to dedicate this manuscript to the memory of Dr. Warren M. Zapol, a visionary scientist, a tireless mentor and a scientific father of generations of physicians and scientists.
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S.G., R.P., W.M.Z., and B.Y. conceived this study. S.G., R.M.H.G., R.P., I.A.R., R.L., S.L.B., K.F.O., E.M., H.V.W., A.B., O.M. and B.Y. performed experiments and data analysis. R.B.C., L.B., R.M., L.E.G., W.M.Z., and F.I. supervised the study. S.G. and B.Y. wrote the manuscript with consultation from all authors. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Goto, S., Grange, R.M.H., Pinciroli, R. et al. Electronic cigarette vaping with aged coils causes acute lung injury in mice. Arch Toxicol 96, 3363–3371 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-022-03388-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-022-03388-x