Abstract
Tobacco smoke’s harmful effects are well-known; the harmful effects of tobacco smoke have been well-investigated. Nicotine in tobacco smoke contributes to the pathogenesis of various conditions, such as lung cancer, coronary artery disease and asthma. A decade ago, a seemingly safer alternative to tobacco cigarettes was introduced- the E-cigarette. However, studies have found that E-cigarette smoke (ECS) not only induces DNA damage but also reduces DNA repair activity via BER and NER pathways. Further research conducted with cells damaged by Ultra-Violet (UV) light or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) indicates that ECS can function as a comutagen; nicotine can amplify mutagenic activity by merging with other mutagens. The downstream metabolites derived from nicotine found in ECS put E-cigarette smokers at a higher risk for developing lung or bladder cancers or heart disease than their non-smoking counterparts. Overall, these findings are instrumental in our understanding of the harmful effects of ECS.
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Acknowledgements
N. Kolliputi was funded by the National Institutes of Health R01 HL105932 and the Joy McCann Culverhouse Endowment to the Division of Allergy and Immunology.
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Saji, S., Patil, S.S., Alleyn, M. et al. Nicotine in E-cigarette smoke: cancer culprit?. J. Cell Commun. Signal. 14, 127–128 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12079-019-00519-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12079-019-00519-5