compared with cigarette smoke e-cigarette smoke (aerosol) has less or even negligible effect on gene expression in lung tissue cells

Recently, an academic paper published in toxicology research and application once again proved the harm reduction potential of e-smoke. The results show that compared with cigarette smoke, e-cigarette smoke (aerosol) has less or even negligible effect on gene expression in lung tissue cells.

Under strict experimental conditions, the subcellular cells in 3D human bronchial model were exposed to electronic cigarette smoke, traditional cigarette smoke and fresh air respectively. The researchers observed the cell gene expression after 4 hours and 48 hours of cell recovery, and found that cigarette smoke could lead to significant changes in cell gene expression, which were obviously reflected in oxidative stress and inflammatory markers.

However, the cells exposed to e-smoke had no significant changes, even similar to those exposed to fresh air.

"We observed the cells exposed to cigarette smoke and found that there was no significant change after 4 hours, but after 48 hours, the genes related to cycle and death pathway were activated. On the contrary, some indexes of the cells exposed to electronic cigarette smoke increased slightly after 4 hours, but no gene pathway was activated after 48 hours," the researchers said.

The experimental data showed that the damage of electronic cigarette smoke to lung cells was significantly lower than that of cigarette smoke with the same dose of nicotine.

This conclusion is also the same as the previous research results of Yueke. In July, Yueke and Sun Yat sen University jointly published an academic paper in the SCI journal ecotoxicology and environmental safety, which also confirmed that under the condition of acute exposure, the impact of e-cigarette smoke on human lung epithelial cells is much less than that of cigarette smoke, which verifies the harm reduction potential of e-cigarette at the cellular level.

In the study of Yueke, the experimenters took the same nicotine concentration as the standard, and also took a certain electronic cigarette and cigarette of Yueke as the experimental object to carry out a series of experiments on cell viability, inflammatory response, apoptosis, cell cycle and transcriptome sequencing within 24 hours of acute exposure.

The data showed that there were no significant changes in cell morphology, apoptosis related indexes and inflammatory factors in e-cigarette group. At the gene level, a total of 8477 genes in traditional cigarette cells changed, and only 25 genes in e-cigarette group changed. This study also verified that e-cigarette has low potential toxicity and good safety.

At present, the research on the safety and harm reduction potential of e-cigarette at home and abroad is gradually improved, which has also become the basis for the public to scientifically recognize e-cigarette. Dr. grant O'Connell, an American scientist and the academic paper leader of toxicology research and application, believes that regulators should seriously consider these scientific research conclusions when formulating policies.

"Relevant scientific conclusions have proved that e-cigarettes can play a positive role in harm reduction," O'Connell said. "We hope that regulators and policymakers should seriously consider the importance of these scientific evidence."