Dong Cuishuang, Li Bin, Liu Cong, Cui Jiajing, Li Yunhui, Liang Lirong, Song Yang, Li Xiaobo
Beijing Key Laboratory of Environment and Aging, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China.
School of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210096, China.
Environ Health (Wash). 2025 May 16;3(8):866-877. doi: 10.1021/envhealth.5c00031. eCollection 2025 Aug 15.
Although electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are a substitute for traditional cigarettes, increasing studies indicate that e-cigarettes are unsafe. Here, we first analyzed the constituents of e-cigarette liquid (e-liquid) and e-liquid vaping-produced aerosols (e-aerosols) by gas chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC/Q-TOF MS) and inductively coupled plasma-MS (ICP-MS), and our result indicated that the components of e-aerosols differed from those of e-liquid. However, there is insufficient evidence on the toxicity of e-aerosols; therefore, an animal study was conducted accordingly. Mice were exposed to e-aerosols for 30, 60, or 90 days within a whole-body exposure chamber equipped with an air quality monitor. Compared with the control, weakened lung function and fiber deposition in murine lungs were observed following e-cigarette exposure. Microcomputed tomography (Micro-CT) images suggested fibrosis-like lesions in the lungs. Mechanistically, the expression of the core circadian rhythm gene, , was significantly inhibited by e-aerosols, which is negatively correlated with interleukin-6 (IL6) expression and resulted in continuous IL6 macrophage infiltration in the lungs during both daytime and night. Eventually, the knockout of expression could completely resist e-aerosol-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. Our results raise concerns regarding the role of circadian rhythm in regulating pulmonary fibrosis and the potential damages of e-cigarette consumption.
尽管电子烟是传统香烟的替代品，但越来越多的研究表明电子烟并不安全。在此，我们首先通过气相色谱-四极杆飞行时间质谱（GC/Q-TOF MS）和电感耦合等离子体质谱（ICP-MS）分析了电子烟液（烟液）和烟液雾化产生的气溶胶（电子气溶胶）的成分，我们的结果表明电子气溶胶的成分与烟液不同。然而，关于电子气溶胶毒性的证据不足；因此，相应地进行了一项动物研究。在配备空气质量监测器的全身暴露舱内，将小鼠暴露于电子气溶胶中30、60或90天。与对照组相比，电子烟暴露后观察到小鼠肺功能减弱和肺内纤维沉积。微型计算机断层扫描（Micro-CT）图像显示肺部有纤维化样病变。从机制上讲，核心昼夜节律基因的表达受到电子气溶胶的显著抑制，这与白细胞介素-6（IL6）的表达呈负相关，并导致白天和夜间肺内持续有IL6巨噬细胞浸润。最终，基因敲除可以完全抵抗电子气溶胶诱导的小鼠肺纤维化。我们的研究结果引发了人们对昼夜节律在调节肺纤维化中的作用以及电子烟消费潜在危害的关注。
