Little Cigars are More Toxic than Cigarettes and Uniquely Change the Airway Gene and Protein Expression

Ghosh, Arunava; Abdelwahab, Sabri H.; Reeber, Steven L.; Reidel, Boris; Marklew, Abigail J.; Garrison, Andrew J.; Lee, Shernita; Dang, Hong; Herring, Amy H.; Glish, Gary L.; Kesımer, Mehmet; Tarran, Robert

doi:10.1038/srep46239

Cited by 29 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Because PG/VG is an integral component of all commercially available e-liquids and appeared to induce toxicity ( Fig 1C and 1D ; S1 Data ), we then studied its effects on cell toxicity alone by performing dose–response curves for 55:45 PG/VG. Because live-cell fluorescence was more sensitive than cell growth ( Fig 1F ; S1 Data ), we extended this assay and simultaneously measured calcein and propidium iodide as markers or live and dead cells, respectively, as described for tobacco exposure [ 26 ]. Here, we used dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a known toxic control [ 27 ] and PBS as a nontoxic control.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of e-liquid toxicity using an open-source high-throughput screening assay

et al. 2018

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The e-liquids used in electronic cigarettes (E-cigs) consist of propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG), nicotine, and chemical additives for flavoring. There are currently over 7,700 e-liquid flavors available, and while some have been tested for toxicity in the laboratory, most have not. Here, we developed a 3-phase, 384-well, plate-based, high-throughput screening (HTS) assay to rapidly triage and validate the toxicity of multiple e-liquids. Our data demonstrated that the PG/VG vehicle adversely affected cell viability and that a large number of e-liquids were more toxic than PG/VG. We also performed gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis on all tested e-liquids. Subsequent nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis revealed that e-liquids are an extremely heterogeneous group. Furthermore, these data indicated that (i) the more chemicals contained in an e-liquid, the more toxic it was likely to be and (ii) the presence of vanillin was associated with higher toxicity values. Further analysis of common constituents by electron ionization revealed that the concentration of cinnamaldehyde and vanillin, but not triacetin, correlated with toxicity. We have also developed a publicly available searchable website (www.eliquidinfo.org). Given the large numbers of available e-liquids, this website will serve as a resource to facilitate dissemination of this information. Our data suggest that an HTS approach to evaluate the toxicity of multiple e-liquids is feasible. Such an approach may serve as a roadmap to enable bodies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to better regulate e-liquid composition.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of e-liquid toxicity using an open-source high-throughput screening assay

et al. 2018

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“…Recent data on smoking prevalence indicates that a substantial proportion of youth in the US smoke cigar products, including cigarillos [ 1 ]. Like other tobacco products, cigarillo use increases the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and mortality, and some early evidence suggests that cigarillos may be more harmful to organ systems than cigarettes [ 2 ]. Cigarillo use is also concentrated among young, urban, minority populations that have traditionally experienced health disparities related to tobacco use and may be more vulnerable to the long-term harmful effects of smoking [ 3 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of Social Media Approaches to Recruiting Young Adult Cigarillo Smokers: Cross-Sectional Study

et al. 2020

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Background The prevalence of social media use among youth and young adults suggests it is an appropriate platform for study recruitment from this population. Previous studies have examined the use of social media for recruitment, but few have compared platforms, and none, to our knowledge, have attempted to recruit cigarillo users. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of different social media platforms and advertisement images for recruiting cigarillo users aged 14-28 years to complete a cigarillo use survey. Methods We obtained objective data for advertisement impressions for a 39-week social media recruitment campaign. Advertisements were targeted to users based on their age, geography, and interests. Effectiveness was defined as the percentage of approved surveys per advertising impression. Chi-square tests were performed to compare the effectiveness of different advertisement images and platforms. Results Valid survey completers (n=1089) were predominately older (25-28 years old, n=839, 77%). Of the 1089 survey completers, 568 (52%) identified as male, 335 (31%) as African American, and 196 (18%) as Hispanic. Advertisements delivered via Facebook/Instagram were more effective than Twitter; 311/1,027,738 (0.03%) vs 661/2,998,715 (0.02%); χ21=21.45, N=4,026,453); P<.001. Across platforms, ads featuring exclusively an image of cigarillos were more effective (397/682,994, 0.06%) than ads with images of individuals smoking (254/1,308,675, 0.02%), individuals not smoking (239/1,393,134, .02%), and groups not smoking (82/641,650, 0.01%); χ23133.73, N=4,026,453; P<.001. Conclusions The campaign was effective in recruiting a diverse sample representative of relevant racial/ethnic categories. Advertisements on Facebook were more effective than Twitter. Advertisements that featured an image of a cigarillo were consistently the most effective and should be considered by others recruiting cigarillo users via social media.

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“…However, the concern that flavorings generally recognized as safe in food products may not be as safe for inhalation 12,15 is equally valid for LCCs. Given the many LCC ingredients other than flavors already identified as harmful, or potentially harmful, [16][17][18] it is unclear whether flavor additives could present any additional, significant harm. Still, the way in which these popular flavorings are perceived by users and potential users, and the relationship between these perceptions and use, are worthy of investigation.…”

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confidence: 99%

Flavors and Risk: Perceptions of Flavors in Little Cigars and Cigarillos Among U.S. Adults, 2015

Nyman

Sterling

Majeed

et al. 2017

Nicotine &Amp; Tobacco Research

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Flavored LCCs are popular, particularly among young adults. While understanding the impact of flavors is an FDA research priority, little is currently known about perceptions of risk associated with flavors in LCCs. This study explores the nature of risk perceptions of flavors in LCCs, and the relationship between perceptions and flavored LCC use. We conclude that perception of risk of flavors in LCCs is related to use of these products, particularly perception of less risk. Considering the relationship between use and risk perceptions would be helpful in constructing health risk messaging.

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Little Cigars are More Toxic than Cigarettes and Uniquely Change the Airway Gene and Protein Expression

Cited by 29 publications

References 60 publications

Evaluation of e-liquid toxicity using an open-source high-throughput screening assay

Evaluation of e-liquid toxicity using an open-source high-throughput screening assay

Effectiveness of Social Media Approaches to Recruiting Young Adult Cigarillo Smokers: Cross-Sectional Study

Flavors and Risk: Perceptions of Flavors in Little Cigars and Cigarillos Among U.S. Adults, 2015

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