Novel Solvent-Free Extraction Method for Analyzing Tobacco Heating Product Aerosols: An Analytical and In Vitro Toxicological Five-Way Product Comparison

Abstract

Harmful and potentially harmful constituents (HPHCs) in tobacco smoke are thought to be responsible for the increased health risks. Tobacco heating products (THPs) heat tobacco instead of burning it to achieve significantly fewer toxicants than conventional cigarettes. To assess the toxicity of THP aerosols, it is often desirable to extract the main constituents using a solvent method. In this study, we developed a high-speed centrifugal method for extracting the total particulate matter (TPM) from THPs to quantitatively compare the toxicity of different THPs and conventional cigarettes. Its TPM extraction efficiency exceeded 85%, and the primary aerosol components and typical HPHCs were comparable to those of the solvent method. The TPMs extracted from five THPs were subjected to 14 in vitro toxicology assessments, and the results were compared with those of a 3R4F reference cigarette. Physical separation can improve biases from solvent selectivity and potential interactions between solvent and aerosol constituents. By eliminating solvent influence, the extraction method could achieve high-dose exposures, enabling the toxicity comparison of different THPs. The relative toxicity of the THPs differed under different dosage units, including the TPM concentration, nicotine equivalent, and puff number.

In Vitro Toxicological Investigation and Risk Assessment of E-Cigarette Aerosols Based on a Novel Solvent-Free Extraction Method

“…Centrifugal Equipment. This high-speed centrifugal device mainly refers to modifications of the device described by Hongjuan Wang et al 31 The centrifuge tube cap is installed on the top of the centrifuge tube to seal and protect the centrifuge tube (50 mL), and the centrifuge tube cap is a spiral tube cap with a sealing ring. Multiple CFPs are placed in the filter placement cavity.…”

The Product Science of Electrically Heated Tobacco Products: An Updated Narrative Review of the Scientific Literature

“…Other authors report similar findings. Wang et al reported that no mutagenic or genotoxic effects were observed for particulate-phase liquid extracts produced from five unnamed HTPs investigated using Ames and micronucleus assays [ 75 ]. Chapman et al exposed cells to HTP aerosol at the ALI and reported significantly reduced or no activity in the NRU assay, micronucleus assay, and Ames test for two prototype HTPs when compared to the 1R6F Kentucky reference cigarette [ 40 ].…”