Translations:ENDS Cardiovascular System/33/en

• Smoking is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and cigarette smoke (CS) has well-established cytotoxic effects on myocardial cells. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic potential of the vapour of 20 EC (e-cigarette) liquid samples and a “base” liquid sample (50% glycerol and 50% propylene glycol, with no nicotine or flavourings) on cultured myocardial cells. Included were 4 samples produced by using cured tobacco leaves in order to extract the tobacco flavour. Methods: Cytotoxicity was tested according to the ISO 10993-5 standard.
• In conclusion, from 20 commercially-available EC liquids that were tested in vapour form, four were found to be cytotoxic on cultured cardiomyoblasts. Cytotoxicity was mainly observed in most (but not all) samples produced by using tobacco leaves, while one sample using food-approved flavoring was marginally cytotoxic. EC vapour production by using higher-voltage devices caused a decrease in cell survival. Overall, EC vapour extracts showed significantly higher cell viability compared to CS extract, based on a realistic-use rather than a standardized comparative level of exposure. This supports the concept that ECs may be useful as tobacco harm reduction products.
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• Citation: Farsalinos, K., Romagna, G., Allifranchini, E., Ripamonti, E., Bocchietto, E., Todeschi, S., … Voudris, V. (2013). Comparison of the Cytotoxic Potential of Cigarette Smoke and Electronic Cigarette Vapour Extract on Cultured Myocardial Cells. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 10(10), 5146–5162. doi:10.3390/ijerph10105146
• Acknowledgement: The study was funded in part by the Greek Association of E-cigarette Businesses (SEEHT).