Maternal electronic cigarette exposure in relation to offspring development: a comprehensive review.

Introduction:
This text provides a comprehensive review of the existing studies on maternal electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) exposure in relation to offspring development. The review aims to summarize the evidence from animal and human studies on maternal e-cigarette use and its impact on offspring health, and to generate ideas for future studies.

Key Points:

* The study selection process identified 14 laboratory/animal studies and 8 human studies.
* Zebra fish models were used in four studies to assess a variety of physiological outcomes, including hatching success, bone and cartilage development, blood vessel development, cardiovascular function, and photosensitivity.
* animal studies investigated anthropometry parameters, metabolic health, respiratory disorders, neurologic dysfunction, and other outcomes such as embryo implantation and fetal vascular dysfunction.
* human studies mostly focused on immediate birth outcomes such as preterm birth, low birthweight, and small-for-gestational-age neonates.
* Inconsistent findings were reported on the impact of maternal e-cigarette exposure on offspring birthweight.
* In utero exposure to e-cigarette vapor may have an impact on systemic and hepatic metabolism of offspring in adulthood.
* In utero exposure to e-cigarette vapor has been shown to affect lung function in neonatal mice.
* Four studies have investigated the impact of maternal e-cigarette exposure on neurologic outcomes in offspring, including molecular and physiological levels.

Main Message:
The existing studies provide some evidence on the impact of maternal e-cigarette exposure on offspring development, but current evidence is insufficient to rigorously evaluate the health impacts. Previous human studies assessing the health risks of e-cigarette exposure mostly focused on immediate birth outcomes. Future research with rigorous study designs is warranted to further investigate the all-around health effect of maternal e-cigarette use on infant development. It is important to note that e-cigarette use during pregnancy should not be considered a healthy alternative to combustible cigarettes.

Zhang Y, angley M, qi X, Lu L, D’alton ME, Kahe K. Maternal electronic cigarette exposure in relation to offspring development: a comprehensive review. american journal of obstetrics & gynecology MFM. 2022;4(5):100659. doi:10.1016/j.ajogmf.2022.100659