In vitro evaluation of the effect of the electronic cigarette aerosol, Cannabis smoke, and conventional cigarette smoke on the properties of gingival fibroblasts/gingival mesenchymal stem cells.

Introduction:
This article evaluates the effect of electronic cigarette (EC) aerosol, Cannabis smoke, and conventional cigarette smoke on the properties of gingival fibroblasts/gingival mesenchymal stem cells (GF/G-MSCs) of never smokers. The study compares the impact of these substances on the proliferation, viability, and pluripotency gene expression profile of GF/G-MSCs.

Key Points:

* GF/G-MSCs were isolated and characterized from 32 healthy non-smoker patients.
* EC aerosol, Cannabis smoke extract, and conventional cigarette smoke extract were prepared and applied to GF/G-MSCs for 2 weeks.
* CFU-F assay, MTT assay, mitochondrial membrane potential, and gene expression analysis were performed to evaluate the effects of these substances on GF/G-MSCs.
* CFU-F and viability were significantly reduced in Cannabis and cigarette smoke extract groups, while EC aerosol showed no significant reduction.
* Mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly decreased in Cannabis and cigarette smoke extract groups, while EC aerosol showed no significant difference.
* aTM, Oct4, and Nanog genes were significantly upregulated in Cannabis and cigarette smoke extract groups, while EC aerosol caused no statistically significant upregulation.
* The p21 gene was not significantly downregulated in EC aerosol, Cannabis smoke extract, or conventional cigarette smoke extract groups.

Main Message:
The study found that Cannabis smoke and conventional cigarette smoke negatively affect the cellular proliferation, viability, and pluripotency gene expression profile of GF/G-MSCs, while EC aerosol showed a significantly lower impact on these properties. Therefore, the use of EC aerosol may be a safer alternative for GF/G-MSCs compared to Cannabis smoke and conventional cigarette smoke. however, further studies are needed to confirm these findings and to evaluate the long-term effects of EC aerosol on GF/G-MSCs.

El-Mouelhy aTM, Nasry Sa, abou El-Dahab O, Sabry D, Fawzy El-Sayed K. In vitro evaluation of the effect of the electronic cigarette aerosol, Cannabis smoke, and conventional cigarette smoke on the properties of gingival fibroblasts/gingival mesenchymal stem cells. Journal of periodontal research. 2022;57(1):104-114. doi:10.1111/jre.12943