Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Department of Chemistry, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2022 Aug 1;323(2):L165-L177. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00015.2022. Epub 2022 Jun 28.
With an increasing prevalence of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use, especially among youth, there is an urgent need to better understand the biological risks and pathophysiology of health conditions related to e-cigarettes. A majority of e-cigarette aerosols are in the submicron size and would deposit in the alveolar region of the lung, where they must first interact with the endogenous pulmonary surfactant. To date, little is known whether e-cigarette aerosols have an adverse impact on the pulmonary surfactant. We have systematically studied the effect of individual e-cigarette ingredients on an animal-derived clinical surfactant preparation, bovine lipid extract surfactant, using a combination of biophysical and analytical techniques, including in vitro biophysical simulations using constrained drop surfactometry, molecular imaging with atomic force microscopy, chemical assays using carbon nuclear magnetic resonance and circular dichroism, and in silico molecular dynamics simulations. All data collectively suggest that flavorings used in e-cigarettes, especially menthol, play a predominant role in inhibiting the biophysical function of the surfactant. The mechanism of biophysical inhibition appears to involve menthol interactions with both phospholipids and hydrophobic proteins of the natural surfactant. These results provide novel insights into the understanding of the health impact of e-cigarettes and may contribute to better regulation of e-cigarette products.
随着电子烟（e-cigarette）的使用越来越普遍，尤其是在年轻人中，我们迫切需要更好地了解与电子烟相关的健康状况的生物学风险和病理生理学。大多数电子烟气溶胶的粒径都在亚微米范围内，会沉积在肺部的肺泡区域，在那里它们必须首先与内源性肺表面活性剂相互作用。迄今为止，人们对电子烟气溶胶是否会对肺表面活性剂产生不良影响知之甚少。我们使用包括受限滴表面张力法的体外生物物理模拟、原子力显微镜的分子成像、使用碳核磁共振和圆二色性的化学分析在内的一系列生物物理和分析技术，系统地研究了电子烟的个别成分对动物源性临床表面活性剂制剂——牛脂提取物表面活性剂的影响。所有数据都表明，电子烟中使用的调味剂，特别是薄荷醇，在抑制表面活性剂的生物物理功能方面起着主要作用。生物物理抑制的机制似乎涉及薄荷醇与天然表面活性剂的磷脂和疏水性蛋白的相互作用。这些结果为理解电子烟对健康的影响提供了新的见解，并可能有助于更好地监管电子烟产品。
