Titled, “Effects of mango and mint pod-based e-cigarette aerosol inhalation on inflammatory states of the brain, lung, heart, and colon in mice” the study was published in eLife, and looked into the effects of aerosol exposure from Juul on different organs in mice, whilst analyzing how specific vape flavours may contribute to such effects.
In this study, the research team led by Dr. Laura Crotty Alexander, an associate professor of medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine and section chief of Pulmonary Critical Care at Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, investigated the impact of inhalation of aerosols produced from pod-based, flavoured e-cigarettes (JUUL) aerosols three times daily for 3 months on inflammatory markers in the brain, lung, heart, and colon.
Crotty and her team also looked at the effects from the brand’s most popular flavours: mint and mango. The researchers found several elevated inflammatory markers, most remarkably in the brain. They also discovered changes in gene expression within the brain area linked with motivation and reward processing.
Colon samples indicated increased inflammatory gene expression, related to a heightened risk of gastrointestinal disease, while heart tissues seemed to have decreased levels of inflammation, which according to the authors may indicate suppressed immunity.
Vapour and heart health
Another recent mice study titled, “e-cigarette Aerosol Reduces Left Ventricular Function in Adolescent Mice,” by researchers at The Ohio State University College of Medicine was published in the journal of the American Heart Association (AHA).
The mice in the study were exposed to an e-cigarette aerosol mixture of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin and nicotine, starting at the human equivalent of about age 12 and lasting until about age 30 in humans. The research team found reduced heart function in males over time, but interestingly heart function in females was not affected.
UCLA Study: Switching From Cigarettes to Smokeless Tobacco Lowers Heart Disease Risk
