A new study from the University of Louisville (UofL) shows that the nicotine contained in some types of electronic cigarettes it can be more harmful than others, increasing the risk of irregular heartbeat or cardiac arrhythmias. A popular claim is that the nicotine contained in s. electronic cigarettes are relatively harmless, while additives and combustion products largely account for the damage of traditional cigarettes.
UofL research, which tested the effects of e-cigarettes with various types and doses of nicotine in animal models, demonstrated that the form of nicotine contained in s. electronic pods, nicotine salts, led to cardiac arrhythmias, particularly at higher doses.
The results of the study were published on Nicotine and Tobacco Research.
E-cigarettes: not always a health benefit
In the study, researchers compared heart rate and heart rate variability in mice exposed to vaping aerosols containing different types of nicotine.
The aerosols contained free base nicotine, used in older types of s. electronic; nicotine salts, used in Juul and other pod-based e-cigarettes; or racemic freebase nicotine, which mimics the recently popularized synthetic nicotine; and their effects were compared to aerosols or indoor air. electronic products without nicotine. Additionally, the research team detected increasing concentrations of nicotine over time, from 1% to 2.5% to 5%.
Nicotine salts induced cardiac arrhythmias more potently than freebase nicotine, and cardiac arrhythmias increased with higher nicotine concentrations.
“This suggests that nicotine is harmful to the heart and counters popular claims that nicotine itself is harmless,” said Alex Carll, assistant professor in UofL's Department of Physiology, who led the study. “Our findings provide new evidence that nicotine type and concentration modify the adverse cardiovascular effects of s aerosols. electronic, which could have important regulatory implications.”
The study also revealed that higher levels of nicotine salts increase the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, also known as the fight-or-flight response, by stimulating the same receptor that is inhibited by beta-blockers, heart medications prescribed to treat cardiac arrhythmias. In the autonomic nervous system, sympathetic dominance increases the fight-or-flight response in bodily functions, including heart rate.
“The nicotine contained in s. electronics cause irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) in a dose-dependent manner by stimulating the very receptor that many heart drugs are designed to inhibit,” Carll said.
The results conclude that inhalation of aerosols of s. electronic devices from liquids containing nicotine salts could increase cardiovascular risks by inducing sympathetic dominance and cardiac arrhythmias.
This work is part of a growing body of research on the potential toxicity and health impacts of e-cigarettes reported by the American Heart Association Tobacco Regulator and Addiction Center, for which UofL serves as the lead institute.
Previous research by the team found that exposure to e-cigarette aerosols containing certain flavors or solvent carriers caused ventricular arrhythmias and other conduction irregularities in the heart, even without nicotine, leading Carll to speculate that arrhythmias may not be the result of nicotine alone. but also from the aromas and solvents contained in electronic cigarettes.
The researchers concluded that if these findings were confirmed in humans, regulating nicotine salts through minimum pH standards or limits on acidic additives in e-liquids could mitigate public health risks from vaping.
Even without regulatory changes, however, research suggests that users could reduce potential harm by opting for e-cigarettes with freebase nicotine instead of nicotine salts or by using e-cigarettes with lower nicotine content.
#Ecigarettes #nicotine #irregular #heartbeat
