Unflavored electronic cigarette exposure induces alterations in airway ciliary structure and function
Abstract Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) have been introduced as a safer alternative to traditional combustible cigarettes and have been growing in popularity. E-cig e-liquids all contain the carrier compounds, vegetable glycerin (VG), propylene glycol (PG), and nicotine, together with different flav...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Respiratory Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-025-03302-w |
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| author | Abdo Durra Caroline Cherry Coline Luo Emily Hou Andrew Frauenpreis Arunima Purkayastha Isabella Passamano Sara Makanani Kristen Castillo Andrew Lund Woosuk Choi Chandani Sen Rachana Chandran Tammy Rickabaugh Prashant Kaushal Mehdi Bouhaddou Eszter K. Vladar Brigitte N. Gomperts |
| author_facet | Abdo Durra Caroline Cherry Coline Luo Emily Hou Andrew Frauenpreis Arunima Purkayastha Isabella Passamano Sara Makanani Kristen Castillo Andrew Lund Woosuk Choi Chandani Sen Rachana Chandran Tammy Rickabaugh Prashant Kaushal Mehdi Bouhaddou Eszter K. Vladar Brigitte N. Gomperts |
| author_sort | Abdo Durra |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) have been introduced as a safer alternative to traditional combustible cigarettes and have been growing in popularity. E-cig e-liquids all contain the carrier compounds, vegetable glycerin (VG), propylene glycol (PG), and nicotine, together with different flavors, but the effects of inhalation of these compounds on the airway are not well understood. This study investigates the effects of e-cig exposure on primary human airway epithelial cells grown in air–liquid interface (ALI) cultures, specifically focusing on mucociliary clearance, the lung’s primary host defense mechanism whereby pathogens and particles trapped by mucus are cleared by unidirectional beating by ciliated cells. We developed a microcontroller-based exposure system to reproducibly examine cellular and molecular changes in ALI cultures from e-cig exposure. Here we show heterogeneous, donor-dependent effects of different e-cig flavors on airway epithelial cells. Examining the effects of the unflavored carrier compounds common to all e-cigs, we found that ALI airway cultures exposed to PG:VG (30:70 ratio) with 5% nicotine unflavored e-cigs show a reduction in ciliary beat frequency. Moreover, using transmission electron microscopy, we identified defects in ciliary ultrastructure induced by unflavored e-cigs. Phosphoproteomic analysis uncovered changes in phosphorylation of proteins involved in cadherin and actin binding and the Rho GTPase signaling pathway, which are all involved in cytoskeletal remodeling that may influence ciliary structure and function. Altogether, our findings suggest that exposure to all e-cigs reduces mucociliary clearance. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e54b8f9f63f54119a90ac5c755f1c5c4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1465-993X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Respiratory Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-e54b8f9f63f54119a90ac5c755f1c5c42025-08-20T04:01:40ZengBMCRespiratory Research1465-993X2025-07-0126111410.1186/s12931-025-03302-wUnflavored electronic cigarette exposure induces alterations in airway ciliary structure and functionAbdo Durra0Caroline Cherry1Coline Luo2Emily Hou3Andrew Frauenpreis4Arunima Purkayastha5Isabella Passamano6Sara Makanani7Kristen Castillo8Andrew Lund9Woosuk Choi10Chandani Sen11Rachana Chandran12Tammy Rickabaugh13Prashant Kaushal14Mehdi Bouhaddou15Eszter K. Vladar16Brigitte N. Gomperts17Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA, UCLA Children’s Discovery and Innovation Institute, Mattel Children’s HospitalDepartment of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA, UCLA Children’s Discovery and Innovation Institute, Mattel Children’s HospitalDepartment of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA, UCLA Children’s Discovery and Innovation Institute, Mattel Children’s HospitalDepartment of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA, UCLA Children’s Discovery and Innovation Institute, Mattel Children’s HospitalPrograms in Biomedical and Biological Sciences, University of Southern California Health SciencesDepartment of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA, UCLA Children’s Discovery and Innovation Institute, Mattel Children’s HospitalDepartment of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA, UCLA Children’s Discovery and Innovation Institute, Mattel Children’s HospitalDepartment of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of CaliforniaDepartment of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA, UCLA Children’s Discovery and Innovation Institute, Mattel Children’s HospitalDepartment of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA, UCLA Children’s Discovery and Innovation Institute, Mattel Children’s HospitalDepartment of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA, UCLA Children’s Discovery and Innovation Institute, Mattel Children’s HospitalDepartment of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA, UCLA Children’s Discovery and Innovation Institute, Mattel Children’s HospitalDepartment of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA, UCLA Children’s Discovery and Innovation Institute, Mattel Children’s HospitalDepartment of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA, UCLA Children’s Discovery and Innovation Institute, Mattel Children’s HospitalDepartment of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of CaliforniaDepartment of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of CaliforniaMedicine - Pulmonary Sciences & Critical Care Medicine, University of ColoradoDepartment of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA, UCLA Children’s Discovery and Innovation Institute, Mattel Children’s HospitalAbstract Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) have been introduced as a safer alternative to traditional combustible cigarettes and have been growing in popularity. E-cig e-liquids all contain the carrier compounds, vegetable glycerin (VG), propylene glycol (PG), and nicotine, together with different flavors, but the effects of inhalation of these compounds on the airway are not well understood. This study investigates the effects of e-cig exposure on primary human airway epithelial cells grown in air–liquid interface (ALI) cultures, specifically focusing on mucociliary clearance, the lung’s primary host defense mechanism whereby pathogens and particles trapped by mucus are cleared by unidirectional beating by ciliated cells. We developed a microcontroller-based exposure system to reproducibly examine cellular and molecular changes in ALI cultures from e-cig exposure. Here we show heterogeneous, donor-dependent effects of different e-cig flavors on airway epithelial cells. Examining the effects of the unflavored carrier compounds common to all e-cigs, we found that ALI airway cultures exposed to PG:VG (30:70 ratio) with 5% nicotine unflavored e-cigs show a reduction in ciliary beat frequency. Moreover, using transmission electron microscopy, we identified defects in ciliary ultrastructure induced by unflavored e-cigs. Phosphoproteomic analysis uncovered changes in phosphorylation of proteins involved in cadherin and actin binding and the Rho GTPase signaling pathway, which are all involved in cytoskeletal remodeling that may influence ciliary structure and function. Altogether, our findings suggest that exposure to all e-cigs reduces mucociliary clearance.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-025-03302-wMotile ciliaE-cigarettesCiliary beating frequencyPhosphoproteomicsCytoskeletal remodelingRho GTPase |
| spellingShingle | Abdo Durra Caroline Cherry Coline Luo Emily Hou Andrew Frauenpreis Arunima Purkayastha Isabella Passamano Sara Makanani Kristen Castillo Andrew Lund Woosuk Choi Chandani Sen Rachana Chandran Tammy Rickabaugh Prashant Kaushal Mehdi Bouhaddou Eszter K. Vladar Brigitte N. Gomperts Unflavored electronic cigarette exposure induces alterations in airway ciliary structure and function Respiratory Research Motile cilia E-cigarettes Ciliary beating frequency Phosphoproteomics Cytoskeletal remodeling Rho GTPase |
| title | Unflavored electronic cigarette exposure induces alterations in airway ciliary structure and function |
| title_full | Unflavored electronic cigarette exposure induces alterations in airway ciliary structure and function |
| title_fullStr | Unflavored electronic cigarette exposure induces alterations in airway ciliary structure and function |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unflavored electronic cigarette exposure induces alterations in airway ciliary structure and function |
| title_short | Unflavored electronic cigarette exposure induces alterations in airway ciliary structure and function |
| title_sort | unflavored electronic cigarette exposure induces alterations in airway ciliary structure and function |
| topic | Motile cilia E-cigarettes Ciliary beating frequency Phosphoproteomics Cytoskeletal remodeling Rho GTPase |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-025-03302-w |
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