Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, 817 West Franklin Street, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA.
School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
Angiogenesis. 2024 May;27(2):229-243. doi: 10.1007/s10456-023-09903-7. Epub 2024 Feb 12.
Electronic (e-) cigarettes are increasingly popular tobacco products on the US market. Traditional tobacco products are known to cause vascular dysfunction, one of the earliest indicators of cardiovascular disease (CVD) development. However, little is known about the effect of regular e-cigarette use on vascular function. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of regular e-cigarette use on vascular function and cardiovascular health in young, healthy adults.
Twenty-one regular users of e-cigarettes (ECU) and twenty-one demographically matched non-users (NU) completed this study. Vascular health was assessed in the cutaneous microcirculation through different reactivity tests to evaluate overall functionality, endothelium-dependent vasodilation (EDD), and endothelium-independent vasodilation (EID). Macrovascular function was assessed using flow-mediated dilation (FMD).
Our results suggest that regular users of e-cigarettes present with premature microvascular impairment when compared to non-users. Specifically, they exhibit lower hyperemic (p = 0.003), thermal (p = 0.010), and EDD (p = 0.004) responses. No differences in EID between the groups were identified. We also identified that individuals who use e-cigarettes for longer than 3 years also present with systemic manifestations, as observed by significantly reduced macrovascular (p = 0.002) and microvascular (p ≤ 0.044) function.
Our novel data suggests that young, apparently healthy, regular users of e-cigarettes present with premature vascular dysfunction in the microcirculation when compared to non-users. We have also identified systemic vascular dysfunction affecting both the micro and macrovasculature in those young individuals who used e-cigarettes for longer than 3 years. Taken together, these findings associate regular e-cigarette use with premature vascular dysfunctions and adverse cardiovascular outcomes.
电子烟在美国市场上越来越受欢迎。已知传统烟草产品会导致血管功能障碍，这是心血管疾病（CVD）发展的最早指标之一。然而，对于定期使用电子烟对血管功能的影响知之甚少。本研究的目的是调查定期使用电子烟对年轻健康成年人血管功能和心血管健康的影响。
本研究纳入了 21 名电子烟使用者（ECU）和 21 名年龄匹配的非使用者（NU）。通过不同的反应性测试评估整体功能、内皮依赖性血管舒张（EDD）和内皮非依赖性血管舒张（EID）来评估血管健康状况。使用血流介导的扩张（FMD）评估大血管功能。
与非使用者相比，电子烟的定期使用者表现出过早的微血管损伤。具体来说，他们的充血（p=0.003）、热（p=0.010）和 EDD（p=0.004）反应较低。两组之间的 EID 没有差异。我们还发现，使用电子烟超过 3 年的个体也会出现全身表现，如明显降低的大血管（p=0.002）和微血管（p≤0.044）功能。
我们的新数据表明，与非使用者相比，年轻、看似健康的电子烟定期使用者的微循环中存在血管功能障碍。我们还发现，使用电子烟超过 3 年的个体中，全身血管功能障碍影响微动脉和大血管。总之，这些发现将定期使用电子烟与血管功能障碍和不良心血管结局联系起来。
