Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38013136›Full record

ArticleToxicology2023

Toxicological assessment of E-cigarette flavored E-liquids aerosols using Calu-3 cells: A 3D lung model approach.

Felix Effah, John Adragna, David Luglio, Alexis Bailey, Tim Marczylo, Terry Gordon

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Toxicology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed
3.0field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. The respiratory epithelium in the era of vaping: insights fromEuropean respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2025
    Review
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Felix EffahPharmacology Section, St George's University of London, Cranmer Terrace, SW17 0RE London, UK; UK Health Security Agency, Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 ORQ, UK. Electronic address: Felix.Effah@UKHSA.gov.uk.
John AdragnaDivision of Environmental Medicine, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
David LuglioDivision of Environmental Medicine, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
Alexis BaileyPharmacology Section, St George's University of London, Cranmer Terrace, SW17 0RE London, UK.
Tim MarczyloUK Health Security Agency, Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 ORQ, UK.
Terry GordonDivision of Environmental Medicine, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
NYU Langone Health · USSt George's, University of London · GBEnvironment Agency · GB

Funding

TRAINING PROGRAM IN ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGYT32ES007324 · NIEHS · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · PI CUDDAPAH, SURESH · 1999 to 2025
$5.8M
Air Quality, Child, and Adult Health in Homes Where E-Cigarettes Are SmokedR01HL139239 · NHLBI · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · PI GORDON, TERRY, WEITZMAN, MICHAEL LANE · 2017 to 2020
$2.0M
The adverse chronic effects of e-cigarettes: puff profiles, sex, genetics, and flavorings as modifying factorsR01CA239253 · NCI · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · PI GORDON, TERRY · 2018 to 2022
$1.5M
NCI NIH HHS R01 CA239253NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL139239NIEHS NIH HHS T32 ES007324
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Scientific progress and ethical considerations are increasingly shifting the toxicological focus from in vivo animal models to in vitro studies utilizing physiologically relevant cell cultures. Consequently, we evaluated and validated a three-dimensional (3D) model of the human lung using Calu-3 cells cultured at an air-liquid interface (ALI) for 28 days. Assessment of seven essential genes of differentiation and transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) measurements, in conjunction with mucin (MUC5AC) staining, validated the model. We observed a time-dependent increase in TEER, genetic markers of mucus-producing cells (muc5ac, muc5b), basal cells (trp63), ciliated cells (foxj1), and tight junctions (tjp1). A decrease in basal cell marker krt5 levels was observed. Subsequently, we utilized this validated ALI-cultured Calu-3 model to investigate the adversity of the aerosols generated from three flavored electronic cigarette (EC) e-liquids: cinnamon, vanilla tobacco, and hazelnut. These aerosols were compared against traditional cigarette smoke (3R4F) to assess their relative toxicity. The aerosols generated from PG/VG vehicle control, hazelnut and cinnamon e-liquids, but not vanilla tobacco, significantly decreased TEER and increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release compared to the incubator and air-only controls. Compared to 3R4F, there were no significant differences in TEER or LDH with the tested flavored EC aerosols other than vanilla tobacco. This starkly contrasted our expectations, given the common perception of e-liquids as a safer alternative to cigarettes. Our study suggests that these results depend on flavor type. Therefore, we strongly advocate for further research, increased user awareness regarding flavors in ECs, and rigorous regulatory scrutiny to protect public health.

Indexed as

Electronic Nicotine Delivery SystemsTobacco ProductsAerosolsAnimalsFlavoring AgentsHumansLungNicotineAerosolsFlavoring AgentsNicotineCalu-3E-cigarettesE-liquidsFlavorsIn vitro lung models

Identifiers

PMID38013136
PMCPMC10826471
OpenAlexW4388998305

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.