Comparative In Vitro Toxicity Profile of Electronic and Tobacco Cigarettes, Smokeless Tobacco and Nicotine Replacement Therapy Products: E-Liquids, Extracts and Collected aerosols

Introduction:
This text summarizes a scientific study that compares the toxicity of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), tobacco burning cigarettes, smokeless tobacco (SLT) products, and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products. The study utilized an in vitro battery of established assays to examine the cytotoxicity, mutagenicity, genotoxicity, and inflammatory responses of various commercial e-cigarettes and compared them to tobacco burning cigarettes, SLT products, and an NRT product.

Key Points:

* The toxicity evaluation was performed on e-liquids and pad-collected aerosols of e-cigarettes, pad-collected smoke condensates of tobacco cigarettes, and extracts of SLT and NRT products.
* In all assays, exposures with e-cig liquids and collected aerosols, at the doses tested, showed no significant activity when compared to tobacco burning cigarettes.
* The study found that the presence of nicotine and flavors, at the levels tested, did not induce any cytotoxic, genotoxic, or inflammatory effects in e-cigarettes.
* The findings indicate that neither the e-cig liquids and collected aerosols, nor the extracts of the SLT and NRT products produce any meaningful toxic effects in four widely applied in vitro test systems.
* The conventional cigarette smoke preparations, at comparable exposures, are markedly cytotoxic and genotoxic.
* The study is the first to systematically compare e-cigarettes with SLT, NRT, and tobacco cigarettes in a comprehensive multi-endpoint study.
* The study evaluated the toxicological impact of traditional tobacco products, commercial Marlboro Gold and two Kentucky reference cigarettes, four blu e-cigarettes, Copenhagen Snuff, Marlboro Snus, and Nicorette Lozenge.
* The toxicological impact of nicotine using e-cigarettes with and without nicotine was also investigated.

Main Message:
The main message of the study is that e-cigarettes are less toxic than traditional tobacco products, SLT products, and NRT products. The study's findings suggest that e-cigarettes have the potential to significantly reduce the toxicological impact when compared to traditional tobacco cigarettes. Therefore, e-cigarettes may hold substantial promise in defining the potential benefits of the Tobacco harm Reduction (ThR) paradigm, particularly in defining the potential benefits of e-cigarettes in reducing the health risks associated with smoking.

Misra, Manoj, Robert Leverette, Bethany Cooper, Melanee Bennett, and Steven Brown. “Comparative In Vitro Toxicity Profile of Electronic and Tobacco Cigarettes, Smokeless Tobacco and Nicotine Replacement Therapy Products: E-Liquids, Extracts and Collected aerosols.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public health 11, no. 11 (October 30, 2014): 11325–47. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph111111325.