Conventional and multi-omics assessments of subacute inhalation toxicity due to propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin aerosol produced by electronic cigarettes

Propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG) are the most common solvents used in electronic cigarette liquids. No long-term inhalation toxicity assessments have been performed combining conventional and multi-omics approaches on the potential respiratory effects of the solvents in vivo. In thi...

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Main Authors: Ming Chu, Ruoxi Wang, Xiaoyuan Jing, Ding Li, Guofeng Fu, Jingjing Deng, Zhibin Xu, Jing Zhao, Zhang Liu, Qiming Fan, Lanjie Pei, Zhi Zeng, Chuan Liu, Zuxin Chen, Jin Lu, Xin-an Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-02-01
Series:Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651324000770
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author Ming Chu
Ruoxi Wang
Xiaoyuan Jing
Ding Li
Guofeng Fu
Jingjing Deng
Zhibin Xu
Jing Zhao
Zhang Liu
Qiming Fan
Lanjie Pei
Zhi Zeng
Chuan Liu
Zuxin Chen
Jin Lu
Xin-an Liu
author_facet Ming Chu
Ruoxi Wang
Xiaoyuan Jing
Ding Li
Guofeng Fu
Jingjing Deng
Zhibin Xu
Jing Zhao
Zhang Liu
Qiming Fan
Lanjie Pei
Zhi Zeng
Chuan Liu
Zuxin Chen
Jin Lu
Xin-an Liu
author_sort Ming Chu
collection DOAJ
description Propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG) are the most common solvents used in electronic cigarette liquids. No long-term inhalation toxicity assessments have been performed combining conventional and multi-omics approaches on the potential respiratory effects of the solvents in vivo. In this study, the systemic toxicity of aerosol generated from a ceramic heating coil-based e-cigarette was evaluated. First, the aerosol properties were characterized, including carbonyl emissions, the particle size distribution, and aerosol temperatures. To determine toxicological effects, rats were exposed, through their nose only, to filtered air or a propylene glycol (PG)/ glycerin (VG) (50:50, %W/W) aerosol mixture at the target concentration of 3 mg/L for six hours daily over a continuous 28-day period. Compared with the air group, female rats in the PG/VG group exhibited significantly lower body weights during both the exposure period and recovery period, and this was linked to a reduced food intake. Male rats in the PG/VG group also experienced a significant decline in body weight during the exposure period. Importantly, rats exposed to the PG/VG aerosol showed only minimal biological effects compared to those with only air exposure, with no signs of toxicity. Moreover, the transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses of the rat lung tissues following aerosol exposure revealed a series of candidate pathways linking aerosol inhalation to altered lung functions, especially the inflammatory response and disease. Dysregulated pathways of arachidonic acids, the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, and the hematopoietic cell lineage were revealed through integrated multi-omics analysis. Therefore, our integrated multi-omics approach offers novel systemic insights and early evidence of environmental-related health hazards associated with an e-cigarette aerosol using two carrier solvents in a rat model.
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spelling doaj.art-5fbed57729e54fb2bdbfc129bab6ffe82024-02-03T06:34:34ZengElsevierEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety0147-65132024-02-01271116002Conventional and multi-omics assessments of subacute inhalation toxicity due to propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin aerosol produced by electronic cigarettesMing Chu0Ruoxi Wang1Xiaoyuan Jing2Ding Li3Guofeng Fu4Jingjing Deng5Zhibin Xu6Jing Zhao7Zhang Liu8Qiming Fan9Lanjie Pei10Zhi Zeng11Chuan Liu12Zuxin Chen13Jin Lu14Xin-an Liu15Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China; Laboratory of Life and Health Sciences, Shenzhen First union Technology Co., Ltd, Shenzhen 518103, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, ChinaLaboratory of Life and Health Sciences, Shenzhen First union Technology Co., Ltd, Shenzhen 518103, China; Laboratory of Life and Health Sciences, Shenzhen Health Union Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Shenzhen 518103, ChinaLaboratory of Life and Health Sciences, Shenzhen First union Technology Co., Ltd, Shenzhen 518103, ChinaLaboratory of Life and Health Sciences, Shenzhen Health Union Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Shenzhen 518103, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, ChinaLaboratory of Life and Health Sciences, Shenzhen Health Union Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Shenzhen 518103, ChinaLaboratory of Life and Health Sciences, Shenzhen Health Union Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Shenzhen 518103, ChinaGuangdong Zhongke EnHealth Science and Technology Co., Ltd. Foshan 528000, ChinaHubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Applied Toxicology, Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Wuhan 430079, ChinaDepartment of Pathology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, ChinaLaboratory of Life and Health Sciences, Shenzhen First union Technology Co., Ltd, Shenzhen 518103, ChinaShenzhen Key Laboratory of Drug Addiction, Shenzhen Neher Neural Plasticity Laboratory, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Corresponding author at: Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Drug Addiction, Shenzhen Neher Neural Plasticity Laboratory, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China.Laboratory of Life and Health Sciences, Shenzhen First union Technology Co., Ltd, Shenzhen 518103, China; Laboratory of Life and Health Sciences, Shenzhen Health Union Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Shenzhen 518103, China; Corresponding author at: Laboratory of Life and Health Sciences, Shenzhen First union Technology Co., Ltd, Shenzhen 518103, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Corresponding author at: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China.Propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG) are the most common solvents used in electronic cigarette liquids. No long-term inhalation toxicity assessments have been performed combining conventional and multi-omics approaches on the potential respiratory effects of the solvents in vivo. In this study, the systemic toxicity of aerosol generated from a ceramic heating coil-based e-cigarette was evaluated. First, the aerosol properties were characterized, including carbonyl emissions, the particle size distribution, and aerosol temperatures. To determine toxicological effects, rats were exposed, through their nose only, to filtered air or a propylene glycol (PG)/ glycerin (VG) (50:50, %W/W) aerosol mixture at the target concentration of 3 mg/L for six hours daily over a continuous 28-day period. Compared with the air group, female rats in the PG/VG group exhibited significantly lower body weights during both the exposure period and recovery period, and this was linked to a reduced food intake. Male rats in the PG/VG group also experienced a significant decline in body weight during the exposure period. Importantly, rats exposed to the PG/VG aerosol showed only minimal biological effects compared to those with only air exposure, with no signs of toxicity. Moreover, the transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses of the rat lung tissues following aerosol exposure revealed a series of candidate pathways linking aerosol inhalation to altered lung functions, especially the inflammatory response and disease. Dysregulated pathways of arachidonic acids, the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, and the hematopoietic cell lineage were revealed through integrated multi-omics analysis. Therefore, our integrated multi-omics approach offers novel systemic insights and early evidence of environmental-related health hazards associated with an e-cigarette aerosol using two carrier solvents in a rat model.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651324000770E-cigarettePG/VG aerosolInhalation toxicity assessmentIntegrated multi-omics
spellingShingle Ming Chu
Ruoxi Wang
Xiaoyuan Jing
Ding Li
Guofeng Fu
Jingjing Deng
Zhibin Xu
Jing Zhao
Zhang Liu
Qiming Fan
Lanjie Pei
Zhi Zeng
Chuan Liu
Zuxin Chen
Jin Lu
Xin-an Liu
Conventional and multi-omics assessments of subacute inhalation toxicity due to propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin aerosol produced by electronic cigarettes
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
E-cigarette
PG/VG aerosol
Inhalation toxicity assessment
Integrated multi-omics
title Conventional and multi-omics assessments of subacute inhalation toxicity due to propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin aerosol produced by electronic cigarettes
title_full Conventional and multi-omics assessments of subacute inhalation toxicity due to propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin aerosol produced by electronic cigarettes
title_fullStr Conventional and multi-omics assessments of subacute inhalation toxicity due to propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin aerosol produced by electronic cigarettes
title_full_unstemmed Conventional and multi-omics assessments of subacute inhalation toxicity due to propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin aerosol produced by electronic cigarettes
title_short Conventional and multi-omics assessments of subacute inhalation toxicity due to propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin aerosol produced by electronic cigarettes
title_sort conventional and multi omics assessments of subacute inhalation toxicity due to propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin aerosol produced by electronic cigarettes
topic E-cigarette
PG/VG aerosol
Inhalation toxicity assessment
Integrated multi-omics
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651324000770
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