Influence of Ordinary Cigarettes and Their Substitute IQOS<sup>®</sup> on Secretory Immunoglobulin A in Unstimulated Saliva

<b>Background</b>: Secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) plays a key role in oral and mucosal immunity, serving as a first-line defense against pathogens. Smoking is known to negatively affect immune function, but data on the impact of heated tobacco products such as IQOS<sup>®</sup...

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Main Authors: Niкolai Pavlov, Ivelina Popova-Sotirova, Nina Musurlieva, Ralitsa Raycheva, Konstantin Trifonov, Maria Atanasova, Radka Cholakova
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Dentistry Journal
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6767/13/7/297
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author Niкolai Pavlov
Ivelina Popova-Sotirova
Nina Musurlieva
Ralitsa Raycheva
Konstantin Trifonov
Maria Atanasova
Radka Cholakova
author_facet Niкolai Pavlov
Ivelina Popova-Sotirova
Nina Musurlieva
Ralitsa Raycheva
Konstantin Trifonov
Maria Atanasova
Radka Cholakova
author_sort Niкolai Pavlov
collection DOAJ
description <b>Background</b>: Secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) plays a key role in oral and mucosal immunity, serving as a first-line defense against pathogens. Smoking is known to negatively affect immune function, but data on the impact of heated tobacco products such as IQOS<sup>®</sup> on sIgA levels are limited. <b>Objective</b>: To assess and compare the effects of conventional cigarette smoking and IQOS<sup>®</sup> use on the concentration of salivary sIgA in healthy individuals. <b>Methods</b>: A total of 200 participants were enrolled and divided into three groups: 60 non-smokers, 70 conventional cigarette smokers, and 70 IQOS<sup>®</sup> users. Unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected and analyzed for sIgA concentration using ELISA method. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25. <b>Results</b>: Mean salivary sIgA levels were significantly lower in both cigarette smokers (246.03 μg/mL) and IQOS<sup>®</sup> users (243.54 μg/mL) compared to non-smokers (380.74 μg/mL, <i>p</i> < 0.05). No significant difference was observed between cigarette smokers and IQOS<sup>®</sup> users. A pronounced reduction in sIgA was seen in female users of both tobacco products, whereas male users did not show a statistically significant decline. <b>Conclusions</b>: Both cigarette smoking and IQOS<sup>®</sup> use are associated with a significant decrease in salivary sIgA levels, particularly in females. The findings suggest that IQOS<sup>®</sup> does not offer an immunological advantage over conventional smoking in terms of preserving mucosal immunity. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and explore underlying mechanisms.
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spelling doaj-art-5acee2036cbe4fbf8f15c6ca929fbd5b2025-08-20T03:58:27ZengMDPI AGDentistry Journal2304-67672025-06-0113729710.3390/dj13070297Influence of Ordinary Cigarettes and Their Substitute IQOS<sup>®</sup> on Secretory Immunoglobulin A in Unstimulated SalivaNiкolai Pavlov0Ivelina Popova-Sotirova1Nina Musurlieva2Ralitsa Raycheva3Konstantin Trifonov4Maria Atanasova5Radka Cholakova6Department of Dental, Oral, and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, BulgariaDepartment of Social Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, BulgariaDepartment of Social Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, BulgariaDepartment of Social Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, BulgariaDepartment of Dental, Oral, and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, BulgariaDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, BulgariaDepartment of Dental, Oral, and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria<b>Background</b>: Secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) plays a key role in oral and mucosal immunity, serving as a first-line defense against pathogens. Smoking is known to negatively affect immune function, but data on the impact of heated tobacco products such as IQOS<sup>®</sup> on sIgA levels are limited. <b>Objective</b>: To assess and compare the effects of conventional cigarette smoking and IQOS<sup>®</sup> use on the concentration of salivary sIgA in healthy individuals. <b>Methods</b>: A total of 200 participants were enrolled and divided into three groups: 60 non-smokers, 70 conventional cigarette smokers, and 70 IQOS<sup>®</sup> users. Unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected and analyzed for sIgA concentration using ELISA method. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25. <b>Results</b>: Mean salivary sIgA levels were significantly lower in both cigarette smokers (246.03 μg/mL) and IQOS<sup>®</sup> users (243.54 μg/mL) compared to non-smokers (380.74 μg/mL, <i>p</i> < 0.05). No significant difference was observed between cigarette smokers and IQOS<sup>®</sup> users. A pronounced reduction in sIgA was seen in female users of both tobacco products, whereas male users did not show a statistically significant decline. <b>Conclusions</b>: Both cigarette smoking and IQOS<sup>®</sup> use are associated with a significant decrease in salivary sIgA levels, particularly in females. The findings suggest that IQOS<sup>®</sup> does not offer an immunological advantage over conventional smoking in terms of preserving mucosal immunity. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and explore underlying mechanisms.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6767/13/7/297secretory immunoglobulin AsalivaIQOS<sup>®</sup>cigarette smokingmucosal immunitygender differences
spellingShingle Niкolai Pavlov
Ivelina Popova-Sotirova
Nina Musurlieva
Ralitsa Raycheva
Konstantin Trifonov
Maria Atanasova
Radka Cholakova
Influence of Ordinary Cigarettes and Their Substitute IQOS<sup>®</sup> on Secretory Immunoglobulin A in Unstimulated Saliva
Dentistry Journal
secretory immunoglobulin A
saliva
IQOS<sup>®</sup>
cigarette smoking
mucosal immunity
gender differences
title Influence of Ordinary Cigarettes and Their Substitute IQOS<sup>®</sup> on Secretory Immunoglobulin A in Unstimulated Saliva
title_full Influence of Ordinary Cigarettes and Their Substitute IQOS<sup>®</sup> on Secretory Immunoglobulin A in Unstimulated Saliva
title_fullStr Influence of Ordinary Cigarettes and Their Substitute IQOS<sup>®</sup> on Secretory Immunoglobulin A in Unstimulated Saliva
title_full_unstemmed Influence of Ordinary Cigarettes and Their Substitute IQOS<sup>®</sup> on Secretory Immunoglobulin A in Unstimulated Saliva
title_short Influence of Ordinary Cigarettes and Their Substitute IQOS<sup>®</sup> on Secretory Immunoglobulin A in Unstimulated Saliva
title_sort influence of ordinary cigarettes and their substitute iqos sup r sup on secretory immunoglobulin a in unstimulated saliva
topic secretory immunoglobulin A
saliva
IQOS<sup>®</sup>
cigarette smoking
mucosal immunity
gender differences
url https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6767/13/7/297
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