DNA damage in human oral cells induced by use of e‐cigarettes

Abstract

The use of electronic cigarettes (e‐cigarettes) has increased rapidly in the United States, especially among high school students. e‐Cigarettes contain some recognized carcinogens and may induce DNA damage in oral cells. The aim of this review is to summarize studies reporting DNA adducts or other types of DNA damage in oral cells in vitro or in vivo upon exposure to e‐cigarette vapor and to evaluate the possible connections between e‐cigarette exposure and oral cancer. Three databases including PubMed, Scopus, and EMBASE and gray literature were searched for articles published up to April 24, 2022. After screening 321 articles, we extracted 27 for further investigation. Based on the inclusion criteria, 22 articles were eligible for this review. The in vitro studies demonstrate that e‐cigarette liquid or vapor can induce DNA damage, oxidative stress, DNA double‐stranded breaks, apoptosis, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity in different types of oral cells. The clinical studies showed that e‐cigarette users have significantly higher levels of N′‐nitrosonornicotine, acrolein DNA adducts, metanuclear anomalies, gene regulation, and lactate dehydrogenase enzyme expression and significantly lower levels of apurinic/apyrimidinic sites than non‐users. Comparison of micronuclei levels between e‐cigarette users and non‐users gave inconsistent results. e‐Cigarettes are implicated in DNA damage to oral cells, but publications to date present limited evidence. Future studies with larger sample sizes are required to investigate the long‐term consequences of e‐cigarette use.

The Tobacco Smoke Component, Acrolein, as a Major Culprit in Lung Diseases and Respiratory Cancers: Molecular Mechanisms of Acrolein Cytotoxic Activity

“…Exposure to e-cigarette smoke causes endothelial dysfunction, pulmonary and cardiovascular injury by raising heart rate and blood pressure, and even DNA mutations leading to cancer [ 42 ]. A valuable mini-review from Guo and Hecht [ 45 ] provides a good evaluation of the in vitro and in vivo studies on the harmful effects of e-cigarettes. The research summary indicates that e-cigarette liquids or vapor are highly cytotoxic to users and, moreover, capable of inducing DNA damage, oxidative stress, DNA double-stranded breaks, apoptosis, and genotoxicity in different types of oral cells [ 45 ].…”

“…A valuable mini-review from Guo and Hecht [ 45 ] provides a good evaluation of the in vitro and in vivo studies on the harmful effects of e-cigarettes. The research summary indicates that e-cigarette liquids or vapor are highly cytotoxic to users and, moreover, capable of inducing DNA damage, oxidative stress, DNA double-stranded breaks, apoptosis, and genotoxicity in different types of oral cells [ 45 ]. Undoubtedly, the harmful effects of e-cigarettes are associated, among others, with reactive aldehydes such as formaldehyde or acrolein generated in e-cigarette aerosols.…”

Oral health risks in users of new generation nicotine/tobacco products (NGPs): Systematic review and qualitative meta-analyses

“…As a surrogate, the association between NGP use (usually of moderate duration only) and various precancerous lesions mechanistically related to oral cancer is evaluated in our review (Chap. 3.1) as well as in a number of previously published reviews (90,95,96,107,114,115). All evaluations (including our own) came to the conclusion that the available evidence suggests that EC use may have the potential to increase the oral cancer risk by working through one or several possible mechanisms which might include formation DNA adducts by exposure to potentially genotoxic chemicals in EC aerosol (e.g.…”

Effects of Vape Use on Oral Health: A Review of the Literature

“…The literature has highlighted the need to understand the potential implications of the use of ENRDs for oral health, especially given the growing popularity of these devices as alternatives to traditional smoking [ 6 ]. It should be noted that the involvement of smoking in the progression of periodontal diseases as well as in other pathologies of the oral cavity, like oral cancer, has been well documented, emphasizing the importance of exploring the impact of vapes on oral health [ 29 ]. On the other hand, the growing popularity of pipe tobacco and the use of ENRDs has raised implications for oral care, demanding a deeper understanding of the biological effects of these products on oral health [ 30 ].…”