Smoking electronic cigarettes kills large number of mouth cells

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/ul-sec111616.php

Public Release: 16-Nov-2016
Smoking electronic cigarettes kills large number of mouth cells
Université Laval

A large number of mouth cells exposed to e-cigarette vapor in the laboratory die within a few days, according to a study conducted by Université Laval researchers and published in the latest issue of Journal of Cellular Physiology.

Dr. Mahmoud Rouabhia and his team at Université Laval's Faculty of Dental Medicine came to this conclusion after exposing gingival epithelial cells to e-cigarette vapor. "Mouth epithelium is the body's first line of defense against microbial infection," Professor Rouabhia explains. "This epithelium protects us against several microorganisms living in our mouths."

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"Contrary to what one might think, e-cigarette vapor isn't just water," explains Dr. Rouabhia. "Although it doesn't contain tar compounds like regular cigarette smoke, it exposes mouth tissues and the respiratory tract to compounds produced by heating the vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, and nicotine aromas in e-cigarette liquid."

The cumulative effects of this cell damage have not yet been documented, but they are worrying, according to Dr. Rouabhia, who is also a member of the Oral Ecology Research Group (GREB) at Université Laval: "Damage to the defensive barrier in the mouth can increase the risk of infection, inflammation, and gum disease. Over the longer term, it may also increase the risk of cancer. This is what we will be investigating in the future."