Effect of E-Vaping on Kidney Health in Mice Consuming a High-Fat Diet

Abstract

High-fat diet (HFD) consumption and tobacco smoking are risk factors for chronic kidney disease. E-cigarettes have gained significant popularity among younger populations worldwide, especially among overweight individuals. It is unclear whether vaping interacts with HFD consumption to impact renal health. In this study, Balb/c mice (male, 7 weeks old) were fed a pellet HFD (43% fat, 20 kJ/g) for 16 weeks when exposed to nicotine or nicotine-free e-vapour from weeks 11 to 16. While HFD alone increased collagen Ia and IV depositions, it did not cause significant oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in the kidney itself. On the other hand, e-vapour exposure alone increased oxidative stress and damaged DNA and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation complexes without significant impact on fibrotic markers. However, the combination of nicotine e-vapour and HFD increased inflammatory responses, oxidative stress-induced DNA injury, and pro-fibrotic markers, suggesting accelerated development of renal pathology. Nicotine-free e-vapour exposure and HFD consumption suppressed the production of mitochondrial OXPHOS complexes and extracellular matrix protein deposition, which may cause structural instability that can interrupt normal kidney function in the future. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that a HFD combined with e-cigarette vapour exposure, especially when containing nicotine, can increase susceptibility to kidney disease.

Third-Hand Exposure to E-Cigarette Vapour Induces Pulmonary Effects in Mice

“…Total mRNA was extracted from the right lung lobes using TRIzol TM reagent (Invitrogen, ThermoFisher, Waltham, MA, USA) as previously described [ 35 ]. Purified mRNA was used to generate the template to create first-strand cDNA using the Sensifast cDNA synthesis kit (Bioline Meridian Bioscience, London, EX, UK) according to the manufacturer’s instructions.…”

Understanding the Cardiovascular Fallout of E-cigarettes: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature

“…Fibrosis observed in the control group was significantly lesser. A magnifying effect of nicotine EC on pre-existing oxidative stress was implied, resulting in renal fibrosis [ 64 ]. Additionally, increased atherosclerosis and modified gene expression, primarily upon nicotine exposure during developmental age, have also been reported, indicating the need to check for confounding additives and potential nicotine interactions within ECs [ 65 , 66 ].…”

The e-liquid flavoring cinnamaldehyde induces cellular stress responses in human proximal tubule (HK-2) kidney cells

“…exposure in rats to flavored e-liquids both with and without nicotine has been shown to decrease renal oxidative stress defense enzymes while increasing renal proteins, thiol groups, and darkened/condensed nuclei with reduced cytoplasm within the collecting ducts [ 14 ]. Additionally, mice exposed to high-fat diet (HFD) in conjunction with vaped e-liquids show altered renal mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complex expression, and altered inflammatory, oxidative stress, and pro-fibrotic markers [ 15 ].…”