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Title: Pod-based menthol and tobacco flavored e-cigarettes cause mitochondrial dysfunction in lung epithelial cells.

Authors: Lamb, Thomas; Muthumalage, Thivanka; Rahman, Irfan

Published In Toxicol Lett, (2020 Oct 15)

Abstract: Current FDA regulations have resulted in a ban of flavored e-cigarette pods, with only menthol and tobacco flavored pods being exempted. Previous work using menthol and tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes have been shown to induce mitochondrial reactive oxygen species. We hypothesized that exposure to pod-based JUUL Menthol and Virginia Tobacco aerosols will alter mitochondrial respiration and electron transport chain protein levels. We determined mitochondrial respiration by using a Seahorse technique and electron transport chain complexes by total OXPHOS antibodies after exposing lung epithelial cells, Beas-2b, to pod-based Menthol and Virginia Tobacco flavored aerosols. Menthol pod exposure resulted in an immediate increase in proton leak and decrease in coupling efficiency, as well as a decrease in complex I, II, and IV. Menthol pod exposure twenty-four hour post-exposure resulted in a decrease in basal respiration, maximal respiration, and spare capacity, as well as a decrease in complex I. Tobacco pod exposure resulted in no significant alterations to mitochondrial respiration, but immediately post final exposure resulted in a significant increase in complex I, IV, and V. Our results indicate that exposure to Menthol flavored e-cigarette pods cause mitochondrial dysfunction in lung epithelial cells.

PubMed ID: 32783911 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Aerosols; Cell Line; Electron Transport Complex I/metabolism*; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems*; Energy Metabolism/drug effects; Epithelial Cells/drug effects*; Epithelial Cells/pathology; Flavoring Agents/toxicity*; Humans; Lung/drug effects*; Lung/pathology; Menthol/toxicity*; Mitochondria/drug effects*; Mitochondria/pathology; Smoking/adverse effects; Tobacco Products/toxicity*

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