05 Oct Electronic cigarettes increase endothelial progenitor cells in the blood of healthy volunteers
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Lukasz Antoniewicz
Lukasz Antoniewicz MD, PhD candidate
Karolinska Institutet
Department of Clinical Sciences
Danderyd University Hospital
Stockholm, Sweden
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Electronic cigarette sales increase exponentially on a global scale without knowledge about possible negative effects on human health. We performed an exposure study in young healthy volunteers and analyzed blood samples for endothelial progenitor cells and microvesicles. Increase in those markers may reflect vascular injury, inflammation and platelet activation.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: The main finding of our study is that endothelial progenitor cells increase significantly following ten puffs of e-cigarette vapor. Microvesicles seem not to be affected by this exposure.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: This fast increase in endothelial progenitor cells may represent stress on the vascular wall following brief exposure to e-cigarette vapor.
In a previous study by our group, we have shown similar effects after smoking a conventional cigarette1. Of course, these results have to be interpreted with caution but nevertheless this is the first finding in human subjects that may show an impact of e-cigarettes on the vasculature.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: It is of outmost importance to study potential negative health effects of electronic cigarette use. Future studies may confirm our findings and may even use other biomarkers for inflammation and vascular health. Other methods exist which may investigate endothelial function in e-cigarette users in a more mechanistic way, like flow mediated dilatation or arterial stiffness. A study that focuses on chronic effects of e-cigarette use would be feasible, but due to the novelty of this product the study population is limited.
MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?
References:
1Mobarrez, F, Antoniewicz, L, Bosson, JA, et al., The effects of smoking on levels of endothelial progenitor cells and microparticles in the blood of healthy volunteers, PloS one, 2014.
MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.
Citation:
Electronic cigarettes increase endothelial progenitor cells in the blood of healthy volunteers
Antoniewicz, Lukasz et al.
Atherosclerosis , Volume 0 , Issue 0 ,
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2016.09.064
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Last Updated on October 5, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD