Confirm that most flavored vaping liquids are harmful

A group of researchers from the faculties of Medicine of the universities of Arizona, Illinois and Stanford, in the United States, has discovered that exposure to flavored liquids that are used in vapers damages endothelial cells, the thin layer of cells that line the inner surface of blood vessels and play an important role in the heart and cardiovascular health.

The study in stem cells, published in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, reveals the harmful effects of electronic cigarettes and flavored liquids, especially menthol and cinnamon, by chemists that are used to make them. The authors considered that although the harmful effects of conventional smoking in cardiovascular disease are well documented, there is little scientific evidence on the toxicity and health effects of electronic cigarettes.

Won Hee Lee, a professor at the University of Arizona and co-lead author of the study, notes that "traditionally, electronic cigarettes they were considered a safe way to stop smoking. Our research questions that idea. Despite the rapid increase in popularity, the cardiovascular effects of chemical flavors in electronic cigarettes have been largely unexplored. Using a novel approach to stem cell research, we discover the harmful effects of these aromas and the potential cardiovascular risks that users can face. "

Vaping is not safe

The researchers used pluripotent stem cells Human-induced, derived endothelial cells (iPSC-EC) and a screening approach to assess the endothelial integrity after exposure to six different e-liquids with different concentrations of nicotine and blood drawn from users of electronic cigarettes.

The blood serum of users of electronic cigarettes showed harmful effects, similar to those of tobacco cigarettes in blood vessels

The induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are generated from adult cells that are reprogrammed to allow the development of an unlimited source of any type of human cell needed, which allows researchers to model diseases in a laboratory dish.

The vascular endothelium plays a key role in vascular function, which has been shown to is altered by cardiovascular risk factors, including smoking. After exposing these stem cells to the compounds in electronic cigarettes or the serum of an electronic cigarette, users developed a dysfunction of endothelial cells associated with decreased viability, accumulation of reactive oxygen species and impaired proangiogenic properties, which is the process of creating new blood vessels. The Endothelial dysfunction usually precedes cardiovascular disease. The blood serum of the users of electronic cigarettes showed harmful effects, similar to those of tobacco cigarettes in the blood vessels.

For Dr. Lee, "this is the first study that states that these stem cells can be used reliably as an alternative model to investigate the damaging effects of electronic cigarettes with existing vascular cells."

The results of the investigation concluded that the Acute exposure to flavored e-liquids or electronic cigarettes worsens endothelial dysfunction, which often precedes cardiovascular diseases. Cytotoxicity, which is the ability of certain chemicals to destroy living cells, of e-liquids varied, with cinnamon-flavored products being the most potent.

Exposure to flavored liquids used in vapers damages endothelial cells

Dr. Lee insists that "there is no sure way to vape. It is not as safe as originally thought, especially with flavorings. Most people expect tobacco to be worse for our health due to nicotine. However, that is not necessarily correct. Some of the effects of exposure to e-liquids depended on the nicotine concentration, but others were independent of it, showing a combined effect of nicotine concentrations and flavoring components. "

Won Hee Lee intends to continue his research to see if he can apply this model to other diseases: "The use of stem cells could provide a new resource to understand the personal and common genetic fundamentals related to the development of many cardiovascular related diseases. and supports that endothelial cells derived from pluripotent stem cells induced by man represent a solid model to investigate endothelial biology with clear advantages over primary human endothelial cells. "