Do Electronic Cigarettes Reduce Harm?

描述(申请人提供)：电子烟加热一种含有尼古丁和保湿剂的液体，如丙二醇。由此产生的气雾剂含有的化学物质比烟草烟雾少得多，因此可能为尼古丁成瘾者提供一种危害较小的替代品。然而，人们对电子烟气雾剂的了解相对较少，电子烟使用者报告了对健康的积极和消极影响。我们的长期目标是了解电子烟如何影响人类健康，并为科学基础做出贡献，这些科学基础将被用来制定合理的政策，规范电子烟的制造、广告和销售。我们先前的数据表明，电子香烟灌装液中使用的一些调味品对人体细胞具有细胞毒性。这项拟议研究的目的是比较电子烟气雾剂和传统卷烟产品主流烟雾的细胞毒性和遗传毒性，进而确定电子烟产品中导致细胞毒性/遗传毒性的香料和化学物质。将使用体外毒理学方法进行筛查 广泛的产品范围和产品/化学品的确定，可在未来的提案中进行更深入的探讨，包括动物和人类。在我们的第一个特定目标中，体外剂量反应筛选将用于鉴定电子烟产品，这些产品产生的气雾剂对人类胚胎干细胞、肺成纤维细胞和肺上皮细胞具有细胞毒性。效力的等级将确定被筛选的产品的相对细胞毒性。遗传毒性将在不杀死细胞的剂量下进行评估。使用两种传统卷烟产品的主流烟雾将获得类似的细胞/遗传毒性数据。来自传统香烟和电子香烟的数据将进行比较，以确定电子香烟的危害是否减少。还将进行比较，以确定胚胎细胞与成年细胞对这些产品的相对敏感度。在第二个具体目标中，我们 将识别效力最强的电子烟气雾剂中的化学物质，购买正品标准，并在细胞毒性和遗传毒性检测中测试正品标准，以确定产生危害的化学物质(S)。由此产生的数据将有助于监管科学，并帮助监管机构制定政策，管理添加到电子香烟液体中的化学物质和调味品。这些数据可以帮助防止电子烟使用者的不良健康影响，并使电子烟成为传统烟草产品的更安全替代品。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Electronic cigarettes heat a fluid containing nicotine and a humectant, such as propylene glycol. The resulting puff of aerosol contains many fewer chemicals than a puff of tobacco smoke and may therefore provide a less harmful alternative for those addicted to nicotine. However, relatively little is known about electronic cigarette aerosols and both positive and negative health effects have been reported by electronic cigarette users. Our long-term objective is to understand how electronic cigarettes affect human health and to contribute to the scientific foundation that will be used to establish rational policies for regulaing the manufacture, advertisement, and sale of electronic cigarettes. Our prior data demonstrate that some flavorings used in electronic cigarette refill fluids are cytotoxic to human cells. The goal of the proposed research is to compare the cytoxicity and genotoxicity of electronic cigarette aerosols and mainstream smoke from conventional cigarette products, and then to identify the flavorings and chemicals in electronic cigarette products that cause cytoxicity/genotoxicity. An in vitro toxicological approach will be used that will enable screening of broad range of products and identification of products/chemicals that could be pursued in more depth in future proposals including animals and humans. In our first Specific Aim, a dose response in vitro screen will be used to identify electronic cigarette products that produce aerosols which are cytotoxic to human embryonic stem cells, lung fibroblasts, and lung epithelial cells. A hierarchy of potency will establish the relative cytotoxicity of the products that are screened. Genotoxicity will then be evaluated at doses that do not kill cells. Similar cyto/genotoxicity data will be obtained using mainstream smoke from two conventional cigarette products. Data from the conventional and electronic cigarettes will be compared to determine if harm is decreased in the electronic cigarettes. Comparisons will also be made to determine the relative sensitivity of embryonic vs. adult cells to these products. In the second Specific Aim, we will identify the chemicals in the most potent electronic cigarette aerosols, purchase authentic standards, and test the authentic standards in the cytotoxic and genotoxic assays to identify the chemical(s) that produce harm. The resulting data would contribute to regulatory science and help regulatory agencies establish policies to govern the chemicals and flavorings that are added to electronic cigarette fluids. These data could help prevent adverse health effects in electronic cigarette users and make electronic cigarettes a safer alternative to conventional tobacco products.