Sex-Dependent Effects of Inhaled Nicotine on the Gut Microbiome.

Introduction:
This text is a summary of a scientific study published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research. The study investigates the effects of inhaled nicotine on the gut microbiome and how sex as a biological variable influences these effects. The study was conducted on mice that were exposed to air or nicotine vapor for 13 weeks, and the gut microbiome was analyzed using 16S rRNa gene sequencing.

Key points:

* The study found sex-specific differences in both alpha and beta diversities in the absence of nicotine.
* Nicotine alters microbial community structure in both male and female mice as revealed by the beta diversity metric.
* Nicotine significantly reduced alpha diversity only in female mice.
* a total of 42 bacterial taxa from phylum to species were found to be significantly different among the treatment groups.
* analysis for functional genes revealed significant differences in twelve metabolic pathways in female mice and ten in male mice exposed to nicotine compared to air controls.
* The study suggests that nicotine inhalation alters the gut microbiome and reduces bacterial diversity in a sex-specific manner, which may contribute to the overall adverse health impact of nicotine.
* The study highlights the importance of considering sex as a biological variable in studies investigating the effects of nicotine on the gut microbiome.

Main message:
The study provides important insights into the effects of inhaled nicotine on the gut microbiome and how sex influences these effects. The findings suggest that nicotine inhalation alters the gut microbiome and reduces bacterial diversity in a sex-specific manner, which may contribute to the adverse health consequences of inhaled nicotine. The study emphasizes the importance of considering sex as a biological variable in studies investigating the effects of nicotine on the gut microbiome, as the effects may differ between males and females. These findings have important implications for our understanding of the health effects of nicotine and the role of the gut microbiome in these effects.

Whitehead aK, Meyers MC, Taylor CM, et al. Sex-Dependent Effects of Inhaled Nicotine on the Gut Microbiome. Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. 2022;24(9):1363-1370. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntac064