Richlak Ethan, Shope Logan, Leonard Ethan, Sewell Leslie, Maykovich Tyler, Mohi Amr, Miller Roy A, Gorr Matthew W, Wold Loren E, Cray James J
Nationwide Children's Hospital Cleft Lip and Palate Center, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America.
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2025 Jun 30;20(6):e0327190. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0327190. eCollection 2025.
Despite the popularity of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), there is currently a lack of regulation and consistency regarding the formulation of the e-liquids that undergo combustion in use. The two main constituents of most e-liquids are the humectants propylene glycol (PG) and glycerol (vegetable glycerin, VG). E-liquids consist of a ratio of these two components with PG utilized to increase the "throat hit" effect and VG used to increase visible vapor. As PG-based e-liquids are known to generate more carcinogenic carbonyls and increase the uptake of nicotine, many commercial products have moved toward a more VG-centric formulation to reduce potential harm. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that a common VG-based formulation (30/70 PG/VG) would result in fewer negative effects on craniofacial growth compared to an evenly concentrated formulation (50/50 PG/VG) in the absence of nicotine.
Adult breeder mice were utilized to generate in utero ENDS component exposed litters including free air exposure (control), 30/70 PG/VG, and 50/50 PG/VG groups. The resulting pups were assessed at postnatal day 14 for skull morphology.
Data demonstrate significant reductions in body weight, facial, and cranial dimensions, where there was a significant reduction in growth for the 30/70 PG/VG exposed group. There were no significant differences found between control and 50/50 PG/VG.
These results suggest the overall movement to a more VG-centric ENDS formulation may not result in reduced profile for health concerns. Further, it suggests that PG/VG are not a harmless carrier and now popular nicotine-free ENDS formulation may not be considered safe for use in pregnant populations.
尽管电子尼古丁传送系统（ENDS）很受欢迎，但目前对于使用中燃烧的电子烟液配方缺乏监管且标准不一。大多数电子烟液的两种主要成分是保湿剂丙二醇（PG）和甘油（植物甘油，VG）。电子烟液由这两种成分按一定比例组成，PG用于增强“击喉感”，VG用于增加可见烟雾。由于已知基于PG的电子烟液会产生更多致癌羰基化合物并增加尼古丁的吸收，许多商业产品已转向以VG为中心的配方以减少潜在危害。本研究的目的是检验以下假设：在无尼古丁的情况下，一种常见的基于VG的配方（30/70 PG/VG）与均匀浓缩配方（50/50 PG/VG）相比，对颅面生长的负面影响会更少。
成年繁殖小鼠用于产生子宫内暴露于ENDS成分的幼崽窝，包括自由空气暴露（对照）、30/70 PG/VG和50/50 PG/VG组。在出生后第14天对所产幼崽的颅骨形态进行评估。
数据表明体重、面部和颅骨尺寸显著减小，其中暴露于30/70 PG/VG组的生长有显著降低。对照组和50/50 PG/VG组之间未发现显著差异。
这些结果表明，总体上转向以VG为中心的ENDS配方可能不会降低健康问题方面的风险。此外，这表明PG/VG并非无害载体，目前流行的无尼古丁ENDS配方可能不适用于孕妇群体。
