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A3563 - Electronic Cigarette Use Alters Gene Expression in Circulating Neutrophils
Author Block: C. M. Bojanowski1, R. Corriden2, J. Chien3, L. E. Crotty Alexander4; 1Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States, 2Division of Host-Microbe Systems and Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics and Skaggs School of Pha, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States, 3University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States, 4Medicine, UCSD and VASDHS, San Diego, CA, United States.
Rationale: The toxic effects of conventional cigarette smoke have been well documented in cardiovascular disease, cancer, and chronic lung diseases such as emphysema. It is also well known that cigarette smoking alters host defenses, promotes systemic inflammation and increases the risk of invasive bacterial infections. Over recent years, electronic (e)-cigarettes have been used with increasing popularity as an alternative to conventional cigarettes despite the existence of only minimal safety data. Furthermore, little attention has been paid to the effects of increasing nicotine dependence that develops in e-cigarette users. We have previously demonstrated that e-cigarettes have unique toxicities by negatively affecting innate immunity and bacterial virulence ex vivo, in vitro and in vivo. The effects of e-cigarette vapor on neutrophils, the critical defenders in innate immunity, are not well understood. Here we sought to explore the direct effects of chronic inhalation of e-cigarette vapor by human users on neutrophil gene expression, through the use of RNA sequencing of circulating neutrophils.
Methods: E-cigarette vapers, conventional cigarette smokers, and non-smoking/non-vaping (NSNV) controls were recruited for a longitudinal study (San Diego County, California). Matched e-cigarette users, conventional smokers, and NSNV controls were selected in triplicate. Neutrophils were isolated from freshly drawn blood as previously described using MACSxpress Isolation Kits. RNA was then isolated and high throughput RNA sequencing was performed.
Results: RNA sequencing revealed alterations in inflammatory gene expression in e-cigarette users, as compared to both cigarette smokers and NSNV controls.
Conclusions: The eventual burden of disease caused by e-cigarettes has yet to be elucidated. Further studies are needed to determine the potential toxicities associated with e-cigarette use in order to inform consumers of the risks associated with continued use. This study adds to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the potential adverse effects of e-cigarettes, in direct comparison to conventional cigarette smokers.