Summary
Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of the effects of e-cigarette use on the whole transcriptome in leukocytes of healthy adult vapers, cigarette smokers, and non-users. The study aims to disentangle the biological effects of vaping while accounting for smoking as a potential confounder.
Key Points:
* The study used RNa-sequencing (RNa-seq) technology in combination with bioinformatic approaches and computational modeling to segregate the biological consequences of vaping from smoking in healthy adult vapers (with and without a history of smoking) and ‘exclusive’ cigarette smokers.
* The analysis revealed that both vapers and smokers had substantial numbers of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with a higher number of DEGs in smokers (683) compared to vapers (92).
* The DEGs in vapers consisted of 64.1% up-regulated and 35.9% down-regulated genes, while in smokers, there were 69.0% up-regulated and 31.0% down-regulated genes.
* Of the 92 DEGs in vapers, 66.3% were protein-coding genes, while the remaining 33.7% transcribed for regulatory non-coding RNas and non-functional elements. In smokers, 54.8% of the 683 DEGs were protein-coding, while the remaining 45.2% belonged to several classes of gene/transcript biotypes.
* The analysis showed an over-representation of protein-coding DEGs and an under-representation of non-protein-coding DEGs in vapers compared to smokers.
* The study also found that 12.0% of DEGs in vapers (11 out of 92) were of mitochondrial origin, while in smokers, 4.7% of DEGs (32 out of 683) consisted of mitochondrial genes.
* The analysis revealed that vapers, similarly to smokers, exhibit disruption of key functional pathways and gene networks in peripheral blood leukocytes, with mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired innate immunity being highly associated with the DEGs detected in both vapers and smokers.
Main Message:
The study demonstrates that e-cigarette use, but not past smoking, is significantly associated with gene dysregulation in vapers. The analysis revealed that vaping interferes with mitochondrial homeostasis and impacts innate immunity and inflammatory response, although to varying degrees. The study also highlights the need for further investigation into the health consequences of vaping combined with other lifestyle habits, particularly in the context of the rising trend of marijuana vaping among youth and young adults. Overall, the study emphasizes the importance of continued research into the health risks or potential benefits of vaping vs. smoking to inform the regulation of tobacco products and protect public health.
Citation
Tommasi S, Pabustan N, Li M, Chen Y, Siegmund KD, Besaratinia a. a novel role for vaping in mitochondrial gene dysregulation and inflammation fundamental to disease development. Scientific reports. 2021;11(1):22773. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-01965-1
