Study on the exposure of e-cigarette to bronchial epithelial cells by Cultex technique

The effect of e-cigarette on the exposure of bronchial epithelial cells was studied using Cultex technology. Since the advent of e-cigarettes in 2003, the number of them sold has risen sharply. For example, from 2013 to 2014, the annual sales of e-cigarettes in the UK increased by 25%, which is even 40% in the United States. Electronic cigarettes are often promoted as safer than traditional cigarettes, but the scientific evidence for this claim is weak. Some chemical studies have analyzed the composition of e-cigarette liquids, but these studies do not provide information on the effects of e-cigarette smoke on the human lungs. The human lungs are the main target organs, which are characterized by organ-specific morphological and physiological functions. In clinical studies, although consumers of e-cigarettes have been examined after their short-term use of e-cigarettes, the possible long-term effects are still unknown; people have also used various in vitro studies using different cells other than the target organ cells; Moreover, liquid and liquid extracts of electronic cigarettes have also been added to cell culture, but newly occurring electronic cigarette liquid smoke has not been analyzed.

Cultex Laboratories GmbH designed an experimental method to analyze the effects of cells taken from human lungs (primary normal human bronchial epithelial cells, NHBE) after direct exposure to electronic cigarette smoke. These cells are cultured at the gas-liquid interface to achieve direct contact of the cells with exposed air. Exposure occurs in Cultex Labs' latest cell in vitro exposure system, RFS Compact (see http:// or ), and Cultex RFS Compact can perform six parallel cell cultures. Exposure of the sample.

Comparing the effects of mainstream cigarettes and electronic cigarette smoke on cell viability of ordinary cigarettes, ordinary cigarettes showed a 5.5-fold higher toxicity (unified to the number of suction ports). However, e-cigarettes cause a cytotoxic effect, which is equivalent to only 65% ​​of the activity of exposed air cells, and the experiment points to the cytotoxic potency of the liquid components.

We performed repeated exposure experiments with cells from three different cell donors, each showing comparable and reproducible results, confirming the stability of the experimental model and the reproducibility of the data.

Figure: Effect of mainstream cigarette smoke and mainstream cigarette smoke on cell viability of normal human bronchial epithelial cells

In the future, in order to ensure product quality and consumer safety, experiments on electronic cigarette smoke are becoming more and more important. In vitro experiments based on normal human bronchial epithelial cells give data on toxic components and should therefore be included in the routine testing procedures of electronic cigarette manufacturers.