Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Epigenetics, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, People's Republic of China.
Clinical Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, People's Republic of China.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2021 Apr;28(14):17044-17067. doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-12985-9. Epub 2021 Mar 2.
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), since they do not require tobacco combustion, have traditionally been considered less harmful than conventional cigarettes (c-cigarettes). In recent years, however, researchers have found many toxic compounds in the aerosols of e-cigarettes, and numerous studies have shown that e-cigarettes can adversely affect the human epigenome. In this review, we provide an update on recent findings regarding epigenetic outcomes of e-cigarette aerosols. Moreover, we discussed the effects of several typical e-cigarette ingredients (nicotine, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, volatile organic compounds, carbonyl compounds, and toxic metals) on DNA methylation, histone modifications, and noncoding RNA expression. These epigenetic effects could explain some of the diseases caused by e-cigarettes. It also reminds the public that like c-cigarettes, inhaling e-cigarette aerosols could also be accompanied with potential epigenotoxicity on the human body.
电子烟（e-cigarettes），由于它们不需要燃烧烟草，因此传统上被认为比传统香烟（cigarettes）危害小。然而，近年来，研究人员在电子烟的气溶胶中发现了许多有毒化合物，并且许多研究表明电子烟会对人体的表观基因组产生不利影响。在这篇综述中，我们提供了电子烟气溶胶对表观遗传结果的最新研究结果。此外，我们还讨论了几种典型的电子烟成分（尼古丁、烟草特异性亚硝胺、挥发性有机化合物、羰基化合物和有毒金属）对 DNA 甲基化、组蛋白修饰和非编码 RNA 表达的影响。这些表观遗传效应可以解释一些由电子烟引起的疾病。这也提醒公众，与传统香烟一样，吸入电子烟的气溶胶也可能伴随着对人体潜在的表观遗传毒性。
