Urine proteomic analysis of the rat e-cigarette model

Abstract

Urinary proteomics was used to investigate the potential effects of e-cigarettes on the human body. In this study, a rat e-cigarette model was constructed by smoking for two weeks and urine samples before, during, and after e-cigarette smoking were collected. Urine proteomes before-after smoking of each rat were compared individually, while the control group was set up to rule out differences caused by rat growth and development. After smoking, the differential proteins produced by rats shows strong individual variation. Fetuin-B, a biomarker of COPD, and annexin A2, which is recognized as a multiple tumor marker, were identified as the differential proteins in five out of six smoking rats on day 3. To our surprise, odorant-binding proteins expressed in the olfactory epithelium were also found and were significantly upregulated. Pathways enriched by the differential proteins shows the evidence that smoking e-cigarettes affects the immune system, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, etc., which provides clues for further exploration of the mechanism of e-cigarettes on the human body.

Effect of different odors on the rat urine proteome

“…OBP2A was identified in a total of 3 rats in the Day10 and Day14 groups, and 2 of them showed a down-regulation trend. This protein was also identified in the rat e-cigarette model, and the changes in the expression of this protein showed strong consistency among the six rats [13] .…”

“…Currently, there are few studies on the effects of different odors on the rat urinary proteome. In a previous study, multiple isoforms of odor-binding proteins were identified in the urinary proteins of rats after smoking jasmine-flavored e-cigarettes, suggesting that the urinary proteome has the ability to reflect changes in the organism after smelling odors [13] . So do rats produce different changes after smelling different odors?…”

Urine proteomic analysis of the rat e-cigarette model

“…Portions of this text were previously published as part of a preprint ( Liu et al, 2022 ). Eleven SPF (specific pathogen free) 8-week-old healthy male Wistar rats (180–200 g) were purchased from Beijing Vital River Laboratory Animal Technology Co., Ltd. (Beijing, China), with the animal licence number SYXK (Jing) 2021-0011.…”