Author(s): Mary M. Brown , Hailey Chambers

Presentation: oral

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) are becoming increasingly popular worldwide as a nicotine delivery system independent from the combustion of tobacco. Refillable e-liquids inside e-cigs are sold in many flavors, but their production is unstandardized. Currently, it’s unclear how e-cigs effect human health. These unidentified health risks combined with the lack of standardization point to the need for research. Since tobacco use is a well-known risk factor for bone-related diseases, we are interested in the effect of e-cigs on bone-forming osteoblasts. We hypothesize that e-liquid exposure can impair osteoblast function. Human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells were exposed to different concentrations of commercially available vaped or unvaped e-liquids with or without nicotine for 48 hours. Cell viability and procollagen type I mRNA expression were assessed using an MTT assay and qPCR, respectively. Unvaped e-liquids reduced cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, which was exacerbated with flavorings. Cells responded differently when exposed to vaped e-liquids. Only the vaped fruit flavored e-liquids decreased viability, and this effect was rescued by nicotine. Ongoing studies are evaluating e-liquid’s effect on procollagen type I mRNA. This is the first study to demonstrate e-liquids can have a direct impact on osteoblasts, and hopes to aid in developing a safer e-cig.

The College of Idaho     2112 Cleveland Blvd Caldwell, ID  8360     USA 208-459-5011    800-2C-IDAHO