Modified risk tobacco products (MRTP) are designed to reduce smoking-related health risks. A murine model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was applied to investigate classical toxicology end points plus systems toxicology (transcriptomics and proteomics). C57BL/6 mice were exposed to conventional cigarette smoke (3R4F), fresh air (sham), or a prototypic MRTP (pMRTP) aerosol for up to 7 months, including a cessation group and a switching-to-pMRTP group (2 months of 3R4F exposure followed by fresh air or pMRTP for up to 5 months respectively). 3R4F smoke induced the typical adaptive changes in the airways, as well as inflammation in the lung, associated with emphysematous changes (impaired pulmonary function and alveolar damage). At nicotine-matched exposure concentrations of pMRTP aerosol, no signs of lung inflammation and emphysema were observed. Both the cessation and switching groups showed a similar reversal of inflammatory responses and no progression of initial emphysematous changes. A significant impact on biological processes, including COPD-related inflammation, apoptosis, and proliferation, was identified in 3R4F-exposed, but not in pMRTP-exposed lungs. Smoking cessation or switching reduced these perturbations to near sham-exposed levels. In conclusion, the mouse model indicated retarded disease progression upon cessation or switching to pMRTP which alone had no adverse effects.

Smoking cigarettes is a major risk factor in the development and progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Modified risk tobacco products (MRTPs) are being developed to reduce smoking-related health risks. The goal of this study was to investigate hallmarks of COPD and CVD over an 8-month period in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice exposed to conventional cigarette smoke (CS) or to the aerosol of a candidate MRTP, tobacco heating system (THS) 2.2. In addition to chronic exposure, cessation or switching to THS2.2 after 2 months of CS exposure was assessed. Engaging a systems toxicology approach, exposure effects were investigated using physiology and histology combined with transcriptomics, lipidomics, and proteomics. CS induced nasal epithelial hyperplasia and metaplasia, lung inflammation, and emphysematous changes (impaired pulmonary function and alveolar damage). Atherogenic effects of CS exposure included altered lipid profiles and aortic plaque formation. Exposure to THS2.2 aerosol (nicotine concentration matched to CS, 29.9 mg/m3) neither induced lung inflammation or emphysema nor did it consistently change the lipid profile or enhance the plaque area. Cessation or switching to THS2.2 reversed the inflammatory responses and halted progression of initial emphysematous changes and the aortic plaque area. Biological processes, including senescence, inflammation, and proliferation, were significantly impacted by CS but not by THS2.2 aerosol. Both, cessation and switching to THS2.2 reduced these perturbations to almost sham exposure levels. In conclusion, in this mouse model cessation or switching to THS2.2 retarded the progression of CS-induced atherosclerotic and emphysematous changes, while THS2.2 aerosol alone had minimal adverse effects.

A lung/liver-on-a-chip platform with metabolic capability over 28 days: a fit-for-purpose microfluidic system for toxicity assessment of pulmonary toxicants.

While the toxicity of the main constituents of electronic cigarette (ECIG) liquids, nicotine, propylene glycol (PG), and vegetable glycerin (VG), has been assessed individually in separate studies, limited data on the inhalation toxicity of them is available when in mixtures. In this 90-day subchronic inhalation study, Sprague-Dawley rats were nose-only exposed to filtered air, nebulized vehicle (saline), or three concentrations of PG/VG mixtures, with and without nicotine. Standard toxicological endpoints were complemented by molecular analyses using transcriptomics, proteomics, and lipidomics. Compared with vehicle exposure, the PG/VG aerosols showed only very limited biological effects with no signs of toxicity. Addition of nicotine to the PG/VG aerosols resulted in effects in line with nicotine effects observed in previous studies, including up-regulation of xenobiotic enzymes (Cyp1a1/Fmo3) in the lung and metabolic effects, such as reduced serum lipid concentrations and expression changes of hepatic metabolic enzymes. No toxicologically relevant effects of PG/VG aerosols (up to 1.520  mg PG/L + 1.890 mg VG/L) were observed, and no adverse effects for PG/VG/nicotine were observed up to 438/544/6.6 mg/kg/day. This study demonstrates how complementary systems toxicology analyses can reveal, even in the absence of observable adverse effects, subtoxic and adaptive responses to pharmacologically active compounds such as nicotine.

Various electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), of which electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) are the most recognized prototype, have been quickly gaining ground on conventional cigarettes because they are perceived as less harmful. Research assessing the potential effects of ENDS exposure in humans is currently limited and inconclusive. New products are emerging with numerous variations in designs and performance parameters within and across brands. Acknowledging these challenges, we present here a proposed framework for an in vitro systems toxicology assessment of e-liquids and their aerosols, intended to complement the battery of assays for standard toxicity assessments. The proposed framework utilizes high-throughput toxicity assessments of e-liquids and their aerosols, in which the device-to-device variability is minimized, and a systems-level investigation of the cellular mechanisms of toxicity is an integral part. An analytical chemistry investigation is also included as a part of the framework to provide accurate and reliable chemistry data solidifying the toxicological assessment. In its simplest form, the framework comprises of three main layers: (1) high-throughput toxicity screening of e-liquids using primary human cell culture systems; (2) toxicity-related mechanistic assessment of selected e-liquids, and (3) toxicity-related mechanistic assessment of their aerosols using organotypic air–liquid interface airway culture systems. A systems toxicology assessment approach is leveraged to enable in-depth analyses of the toxicity-related cellular mechanisms of e-liquids and their aerosols. We present example use cases to demonstrate the suitability of the framework for a robust in vitro assessment of e-liquids and their aerosols.