Are E-Cigarettes Worse than Regular Cigarettes?

Haley Kessler

Biology 1610

Dr. Michaela A. Gazdik Stofer

January 25, 2017

     Everyone knows that smoking is bad for the human body.  We’ve all learned about lung cancer, oral cancer, throat cancer, dental problems, and the systemic effects of smoking.  As a dental hygienist, I get to see tobacco stains, black hairy tongues, and nicotine stomatitis up close, everyday.  I get to smell the infected, dying tissues of deep periodontal pockets which were caused by years of smoking.  I try to educate my patients on the oral and systemic effects of tobacco use whenever I can.  When discussing tobacco cessation with my patients, one of the most common questions I encounter is, “Well, what about e-cigarettes?”

     What about e-cigarettes?  What do they do to the body?  What are the long term effects?  Are they as bad as normal cigarettes?  E-Cigarettes were introduced in 2006, and in recent years they have become increasingly popular.  Being so new to the market, there is relatively little research available on e-cigarettes.  I decided to focus my blog post on an article that helps explain how the use of e-cigarettes, or “vaping”, can alter gene expression in epithelial cells. 

     The article follows a study that was conducted by the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.  The study examined the effects of e-cigarettes on gene expression in the epithelial cells of the upper respiratory tract.  These epithelial cells are responsible for trapping harmful substances and initiating the immune response. The genes expressed in these cells give rise to specific proteins that are needed for the cells to function properly.  When gene expression is disturbed, cells do not produce proteins properly. They are then less effective at warding off infections.  Past studies have shown that smokers are more susceptible to upper respiratory infections or problems than non-smokers.  This study was conducted to compare changes in gene expression between smokers and e-cigarette users. 

     Thirteen smokers, fourteen non-smokers, and twelve e-cigarette users participated in the study.  They each kept a record of their cigarette or e-cigarette use.  Urine and blood samples were also collected from the participants and were tested for nicotine levels and biomarkers related to tobacco use.  Three weeks into the study, samples of epithelial cells were collected from each of the participants’ nasal passages.  The cells were then examined for changes in gene expression.  

     The data collected from the group of smokers was used as a baseline for comparison.  Smokers were found to have decreased gene expression in 53 of the genes that were important to immune defense.   E-cigarette users were found to have decreased gene expression in 358 of the genes that were important to immune defense.  The results also showed that every single gene damaged by smoking, was also damaged by e-cigarette use.

     Such drastic results were profound and shocking even to the researchers who conducted the study. After carefully analyzing their results, they concluded that e-cigarette use was just as harmful, if not more harmful than traditional cigarette use.  Moreover, they advised that e-cigarette use should be examined as an entirely separate threat to human health.  The vaporized liquid inhaled from e-cigarettes is very different than the burning smoke inhaled form cigarettes. The long term effects of e-cigarette use could include a whole new realm of health issues, as well as the issues already associated with smoking. 

     Right now, the mechanism of action of the damage done by e-cigarettes is not well understood.  There is no research on the long term effects of e-cigarette use.  The small amount of research that has been done suggests that they are just as harmful as cigarettes, if not more so.  Only time and additional research will help us understand the health problems that could be caused by e-cigarettes.  Hopefully research will be continue to be conducted, so people can be educated on this potentially dangerous activity before it gains any more popularity.  

Source: http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2016/06/20/ecigarette_use_can_alter_hundreds_of_genes_involved_in_airway_immune_defense.html