Electronic cigarette vapour increases virulence and inflammatory potential of respiratory pathogens

Abstract

IntroductionBacteria have been extensively implicated in the development of smoking related diseases, such as COPD, by either direct infection or bacteria-mediated inflammation. In response to the health risks associated with tobacco exposure, the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) has increased. This study compared the effect of e-cig vapour (ECV) and cigarette smoke (CSE) on the virulence and inflammatory potential of key lung pathogens (Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa).MethodsBiofilm formation, virulence in the Galleria mellonella infection model, antibiotic susceptibility and IL-8/TNF-α production in A549 cells, were compared between bacteria exposed to ECV, CSE and non-exposed bacteria.ResultsStatistically significant increases in biofilm and cytokine secretion were observed following bacterial exposure to either ECV or CSE, compared to non-exposed bacteria; the effect of exposure to ECV on bacterial phenotype and virulence was comparable, and in some cases greater, than that observed following CSE exposure. Treatment of A549 cells with cell signaling pathway inhibitors prior to infection, did not suggest that alternative signaling pathways were being activated following exposure of bacteria to either ECV or CSE.ConclusionsThese findings therefore suggest that ECV and CSE can induce changes in phenotype and virulence of key lung pathogens, which may increase bacterial persistence and inflammatory potential.

E-cigarette use and respiratory disorders: an integrative review of converging evidence from epidemiological and laboratory studies

“…Gilpin [87] and Gomez [88] exposed macrophages and several types of bacteria (e.g., influenza, pneumonia) to e-cigarette aerosol extract and found increased bacterial virulence and inflammatory potential as well as decreased bacteria-killing ability. A mouse study [89] found similar effects for macrophages and increased morbidity and mortality among influenza-infected animals, independent of nicotine.…”

“…Though these studies demonstrated effects of flavorings, some also found significant adverse effects for humectants alone. In several studies [87,88,89,91,92] some effects of e-cigarettes on immune function were less than for cigarettes but some were equal to cigarettes.…”

“…= related; STIM = stromal interaction molecule; permeab = membrane permeability; MMP = matrixmetalloprotease. Control conditions were clean air in [75,86,89,92,94], medium control in [84,85,87,90,91,93], untreated or littermate control in [84,88,95]. For other notes, see footnote for Supplementary Table 5.…”

E-Cigarette Exposure Decreases Bone Marrow Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells

“…E-cigarette aerosols are not “safe” and consist of ultrafine particles, nicotine, volatile organic compounds, heavy metals such as nickel, formaldehyde, acrolein and flavorings and chronic inhalation of these harmful chemicals predict negative health impacts [ 21 ]. E-cigarette exposure can enhance the inflammatory profile of viral and bacterial pathogens of the respiratory system and downregulates innate immunity in the lung [ 22 , 23 ]. Since HSPCs are activated in response to injury and infection, it is likely that E-cigarette exposure has a measurable impact on HSPCs.…”

Prevalence of Current and Past SARS-CoV-2 Infections among Police Employees in Poland, June–July 2020

“…The two significant predictors of positive IgG results were age ≥60 years and daily vaping. Use of e-cigarettes, both alone and in combination with conventional cigarette smoking, has been associated with increased virulence and inflammatory potential of respiratory pathogens in general [ 25 ] and with COVID-19 in particular [ 26 ]. However, the opposite results were also found for smoking.…”