Toxicology research on electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has been mounting over the past decade, propelled by their increasing popularity and the discord in the public health community regarding the potential health impact of their use. Most of the early studies have focused on chemical characterization of aerosols and the resulting exposures in humans, demonstrating significant reductions in many tobacco-related chemical toxicants and carcinogens compared to cigarette smoke levels. Such studies also revealed the important role of e-cigarette device characteristics and e-liquid composition in the potential toxicological profile of e-cigarette aerosol. Accounting for these factors is critical, but not sufficient in designing adequate in vitro and in vivo toxicology studies with e-cigarettes. Other important factors are the choice of puffing parameters and regimens, the aerosol collection technique and handling conditions, and the exposure method (direct, extracts, or solutions). Variations in these and other relevant factors can lead to changes in the aerosol particle size distribution, inconsistencies in nicotine delivery, losses of important volatile toxicants, and other changes to important physico-chemical characteristics of the final material delivered to cells or laboratory animals. As the result, some seemingly trivial modifications to experimental design can have dramatic impact on the outcomes of such studies and lead to discrepancies in findings across research groups. This presentation will discuss key considerations related to the generation of e-cigarette aerosol for in vitro and in vivo toxicology studies and will provide recommendations for future research.

E-cigarette aerosols for <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> toxicology studies: Key considerations

2019 Fall National Meeting

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E-cigarette aerosols for in vitro and in vivo toxicology studies: Key considerations