Article Text
Abstract
Objectives To determine if urinary biomarkers of effect and potential harm are elevated in electronic cigarette users compared with non-smokers and if elevation correlates with increased concentrations of metals in urine.
Study design and setting This was a cross-sectional study of biomarkers of exposure, effect and potential harm in urine from non-smokers (n=20), electronic cigarette users (n=20) and cigarette smokers (n=13). Participant’s screening and urine collection were performed at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and biomarker analysis and metal analysis were performed at the University of California, Riverside.
Results Metallothionein was significantly elevated in the electronic cigarette group (3761±3932 pg/mg) compared with the non-smokers (1129±1294 pg/mg, p=0.05). 8-OHdG (8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine) was significantly elevated in electronic cigarette users (442.8±300.7 ng/mg) versus non-smokers (221.6±157.8 ng/mg, p=0.01). 8-Isoprostane showed a significant increase in electronic cigarette users (750.8±433 pg/mg) versus non-smokers (411.2±287.4 pg/mg, p=0.03). Linear regression analysis in the electronic cigarette group showed a significant correlation between cotinine and total metal concentration; total metal concentration and metallothionein; cotinine and oxidative DNA damage; and total metal concentration and oxidative DNA damage. Zinc was significantly elevated in the electronic cigarette users (584.5±826.6 µg/g) compared with non-smokers (413.6±233.7 µg/g, p=0.03). Linear regression analysis showed a significant correlation between urinary zinc concentration and 8-OHdG in the electronic cigarette users.
Conclusions This study is the first to investigate biomarkers of potential harm and effect in electronic cigarette users and to show a linkage to metal exposure. The biomarker levels in electronic cigarette users were similar to (and not lower than) cigarette smokers. In electronic cigarette users, there was a link to elevated total metal exposure and oxidative DNA damage. Specifically, our results demonstrate that zinc concentration was correlated to oxidative DNA damage.
- electronic cigarettes
- cigarettes
- non-smokers
- metals
- biomarkers
This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
Statistics from Altmetric.com
Footnotes
Contributors SS-C, MH, MJG and PT were responsible for the study concept and design. SS-C, MW and ANR performed the experiments for data collection. MJG collected and shipped the urine samples to our lab. JL acted as a statistician. SMB helped design the use of the inductively coupled mass spectrometry in TWL’s lab and the analysis of the metal data. SS-C, MW, MH, JL, MJG and PT drafted the manuscript, and all authors read and provided comments on the manuscript. SS-C, MW and PT reviewed the data and take responsibility for the integrity and accuracy of the data. The corresponding author attests that all listed authors meet authorship criteria and that no others meeting the criteria have been omitted. SS-C and PT are the guarantors.
Funding This study was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (awards R01DA037446 and P30 CA016056, respectively) and FDA Center for Tobacco Products and by an award from the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies. MJG reports grants from Pfizer (2011 GRAND [Global Research Awards for Nicotine Dependence] recipient) and personal fees from Johnson & Johnson (as a member of the advisory board) outside the submitted work.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent for publication Not required.
Ethics approval The study was approved by Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center IRB (protocol number I 247313). The biomarker measurement study was approved under IRB protocol HS-12-023 from University of California, Riverside.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Data availability statement All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information. All relevant data are in the manuscript.