Flavors Enhance Nicotine Vapor Self-administration in Male Mice.

Introduction:
This text is a summary of a scientific study on the impact of flavors on vaping-related behavior. The study investigates how different flavors of e-liquids used in electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) affect the initiation and reinforcement of vaping behavior in male mice. The study uses a novel vapor-inhalation self-administration paradigm to accurately and efficiently model human vaping in a noninvasive manner.

Key Points:

* The study used adult C57/BL6J male mice and assigned them vaping e-liquids (6 mg/mL nicotine with or without menthol or green apple flavor) to escalate on a fixed-ratio 1 (FR1) schedule in daily 3-hour sessions to examine initiation-related behaviors.
* Following escalation, mice were transitioned to a FR3 and progressive ratio (PR) schedules in 3-hour sessions to examine reinforcement-related behaviors.
* The study found that male mice exhibited increased rates of self-administration escalation on a FR1 schedule when assigned to flavored e-liquids.
* Mice continued to exhibit enhanced levels of reinforcement with flavored e-liquids on the FR3 schedule.
* The study also found that mice self-administered zero-nicotine green apple flavored e-liquids.
* The findings suggest that flavors in electronic nicotine delivery systems significantly increase the risk of addiction-related behaviors among users of vaping products.
* The study highlights the need to continue investigating the role ENDS flavors play in vaping-related behaviors.

Main Message:
The study provides evidence that flavors in electronic nicotine delivery systems significantly enhance the acquisition and reinforcement of vaping-related behavior, thereby increasing the risk of addiction-related behaviors among users of vaping products. The findings suggest that further research is needed to understand the role of ENDS flavors in enhancing vaping-related nicotine addiction. The use of flavors in ENDS should be carefully regulated to prevent the potential negative health consequences associated with vaping behavior.

Cooper SY, akers aT, henderson BJ. Flavors Enhance Nicotine Vapor Self-administration in Male Mice. Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. 2021;23(3):566-572. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntaa165