E-cigarettes can cause inflammation in the gut

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In a new study, researchers found that the chemicals found in e-cigarettes disrupt the gut barrier and trigger inflammation in the body, potentially leading to a variety of health concerns.

They found that chronic use of nicotine-free e-cigarettes led to a “leaky gut,” in which microbes and other molecules seep out of the intestines, resulting in chronic inflammation.

Such inflammation can contribute to a variety of diseases and conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, dementia, certain cancers, atherosclerosis, liver fibrosis, diabetes, and arthritis.

The research was conducted by a team at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

The gut lining is comprised of a single layer of cells that are meant to seal the body from the trillions of microbes, defend our immune system, and at the same time allow absorption of essential nutrients.

In the study, the team used 3-D models of human intestinal tracts generated from patient cells and simulated what happens when e-cigarette vapors enter the gut lining.

To produce the 3-D gut organoids, the researchers collected stem cells from patients’ biopsies during colonoscopies and grew them in vitro.

The researchers found that two chemicals used as a base for all e-cigarette liquid-vapor—propylene glycol and vegetable glycerol—were the cause of inflammation.

When exposed to the e-cigarette liquid, the gut cells were quickly overwhelmed, unable to effectively clear pathogens, resulting in gut inflammation.

This is the first study that demonstrates how chronic exposure to e-cigarettes increases the gut’s susceptibility to bacterial infections, leading to chronic inflammation and other health concerns.

Given the importance of the gut barrier in the maintenance of the body’s immune homeostasis, the findings provide valuable insight into the potential long-term harmful effects of chronic use of e-cigarettes on our health.

The team says damage to the gut lining may be reversible over time if the inciting factor, in this case, e-cigarette use, is eliminated, but the effects of chronic inflammation upon other organs, such as the heart or brain, may be irreversible.

In the future, they plan to look at different flavorings of e-cigarettes to determine what effects they might have on the gut.

One author of the study is Soumita Das, Ph.D., an associate professor of pathology.

The study is published in the journal iScience.

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