Vaping to Vascular Damage: The Role of E-Cigarettes on Vascular Function

BackgroundElectronic cigarettes (E-cigs) have exponentially increased in popularity and usage due to the perception that e-cigs are safe, their usefulness as a cigarette-smoking cessation tool, and the appeal of heavily marketed flavors. There is little known about the long-term effects of E-cig vapor exposure, particularly in the context of vascular dysfunction. We hypothesize that the long-term use of E-cig vapor decreased aortic function, and increase aortic stiffness. MethodsData were obtained from C57BL/6 female mice exposed to 3R4F reference cigarette (N=5–7), cappuccino flavored E-vapor (18 mg/ml nicotine, N=7), or filtered air (N=7–8) for 4 h/day, 5 d/wk for 8 months. Food and water were administered ad libitum. Before and after the exposure, in-vivo aortic stiffness (pulse wave velocity) was measured using B-mode and Doppler ultrasound by obtain blood flow signals at the aortic arch and before the carotid bifurcation from a single image, which were gated to the EKG. At the end of the exposure the...