Nicotine and Microvascular Responses in Skeletal Muscle from Acute Exposure to Cigarettes and Vaping
Despite claims of safety or harm reduction for electronic cigarettes (E-cig) use (also known as vaping), emerging evidence indicates that E-cigs are not likely safe, or necessarily safer than traditional cigarettes, when considering the user’s risk of developing vascular dysfunction/disease. E-cigs...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/12/10208 |
| _version_ | 1797594292238155776 |
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| author | Christopher R. Pitzer Eiman A. Aboaziza Juliana M. O’Reilly W. Kyle Mandler I. Mark Olfert |
| author_facet | Christopher R. Pitzer Eiman A. Aboaziza Juliana M. O’Reilly W. Kyle Mandler I. Mark Olfert |
| author_sort | Christopher R. Pitzer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite claims of safety or harm reduction for electronic cigarettes (E-cig) use (also known as vaping), emerging evidence indicates that E-cigs are not likely safe, or necessarily safer than traditional cigarettes, when considering the user’s risk of developing vascular dysfunction/disease. E-cigs are different from regular cigarettes in that E-cig devices are highly customizable, and users can change the e-liquid composition (such as the base solution, flavors, and nicotine level). Since the effects of E-cigs on the microvascular responses in skeletal muscle are poorly understood, we used intravital microscopy with an acute (one-time 10 puff) exposure paradigm to evaluate the individual components of e-liquid on vascular tone and endothelial function in the arterioles of the gluteus maximus muscle of anesthetized C57Bl/6 mice. Consistent with the molecular responses seen with endothelial cells, we found that the peripheral vasoconstriction response was similar between mice exposed to E-cig aerosol or cigarette smoke (i.e., 3R4F reference cigarette); this response was not nicotine dependent, and endothelial cell-mediated vasodilation was not altered within this acute exposure paradigm. We also report that, regardless of the base solution component [i.e., vegetable glycerin (VG)-only or propylene glycol (PG)-only], the vasoconstriction responses were the same in mice with inhalation exposure to 3R4F cigarette smoke or E-cig aerosol. Key findings from this work reveal that some component other than nicotine, in inhaled smoke or aerosol, is responsible for triggering peripheral vasoconstriction in skeletal muscle, and that regardless of one’s preference for an E-cig base solution composition (i.e., ratio of VG-to-PG), the acute physiological response to blood vessels appears to be the same. The data suggest that vaping is not likely to be ‘safer’ than smoking towards blood vessels and can be expected to produce and/or result in the same adverse vascular health outcomes associated with smoking cigarettes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:21:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a228be0881734ea6a29e2a7e78aff362 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:21:41Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-a228be0881734ea6a29e2a7e78aff3622023-11-18T10:50:17ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672023-06-0124121020810.3390/ijms241210208Nicotine and Microvascular Responses in Skeletal Muscle from Acute Exposure to Cigarettes and VapingChristopher R. Pitzer0Eiman A. Aboaziza1Juliana M. O’Reilly2W. Kyle Mandler3I. Mark Olfert4Division of Exercise Physiology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USAWest Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Morgantown, WV 26506, USADivision of Exercise Physiology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USADivision of Exercise Physiology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USADivision of Exercise Physiology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USADespite claims of safety or harm reduction for electronic cigarettes (E-cig) use (also known as vaping), emerging evidence indicates that E-cigs are not likely safe, or necessarily safer than traditional cigarettes, when considering the user’s risk of developing vascular dysfunction/disease. E-cigs are different from regular cigarettes in that E-cig devices are highly customizable, and users can change the e-liquid composition (such as the base solution, flavors, and nicotine level). Since the effects of E-cigs on the microvascular responses in skeletal muscle are poorly understood, we used intravital microscopy with an acute (one-time 10 puff) exposure paradigm to evaluate the individual components of e-liquid on vascular tone and endothelial function in the arterioles of the gluteus maximus muscle of anesthetized C57Bl/6 mice. Consistent with the molecular responses seen with endothelial cells, we found that the peripheral vasoconstriction response was similar between mice exposed to E-cig aerosol or cigarette smoke (i.e., 3R4F reference cigarette); this response was not nicotine dependent, and endothelial cell-mediated vasodilation was not altered within this acute exposure paradigm. We also report that, regardless of the base solution component [i.e., vegetable glycerin (VG)-only or propylene glycol (PG)-only], the vasoconstriction responses were the same in mice with inhalation exposure to 3R4F cigarette smoke or E-cig aerosol. Key findings from this work reveal that some component other than nicotine, in inhaled smoke or aerosol, is responsible for triggering peripheral vasoconstriction in skeletal muscle, and that regardless of one’s preference for an E-cig base solution composition (i.e., ratio of VG-to-PG), the acute physiological response to blood vessels appears to be the same. The data suggest that vaping is not likely to be ‘safer’ than smoking towards blood vessels and can be expected to produce and/or result in the same adverse vascular health outcomes associated with smoking cigarettes.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/12/102083R4F reference cigarettee-liquidintravital microscopyelectronic cigaretteE-cigarette |
| spellingShingle | Christopher R. Pitzer Eiman A. Aboaziza Juliana M. O’Reilly W. Kyle Mandler I. Mark Olfert Nicotine and Microvascular Responses in Skeletal Muscle from Acute Exposure to Cigarettes and Vaping International Journal of Molecular Sciences 3R4F reference cigarette e-liquid intravital microscopy electronic cigarette E-cigarette |
| title | Nicotine and Microvascular Responses in Skeletal Muscle from Acute Exposure to Cigarettes and Vaping |
| title_full | Nicotine and Microvascular Responses in Skeletal Muscle from Acute Exposure to Cigarettes and Vaping |
| title_fullStr | Nicotine and Microvascular Responses in Skeletal Muscle from Acute Exposure to Cigarettes and Vaping |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nicotine and Microvascular Responses in Skeletal Muscle from Acute Exposure to Cigarettes and Vaping |
| title_short | Nicotine and Microvascular Responses in Skeletal Muscle from Acute Exposure to Cigarettes and Vaping |
| title_sort | nicotine and microvascular responses in skeletal muscle from acute exposure to cigarettes and vaping |
| topic | 3R4F reference cigarette e-liquid intravital microscopy electronic cigarette E-cigarette |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/12/10208 |
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