Scientists from the University of Birmingham found that short-term inhalation of e-cigarette vapor can interfere with the functioning of neutrophil immune cells and potentially increase the risk of respiratory diseases. The study was published on: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
The researchers took blood samples from healthy donors who had never smoked or e-cigarettes. The team then exposed blood-taken neutrophil immune cells to 40 puffs of an unflavored e-cigarette, equivalent to a low daily exposure.
Half of the tests used pairs with nicotine, and half without nicotine. Test results showed that neutrophils in both groups survived, but they lost their ability to move and effectively combat infectious threats.
Previous studies have shown that neutrophil damage caused by conventional smoking can lead to long-term lung damage. Therefore, scientists believe that regular use of e-cigarettes may increase the risk of respiratory diseases. The authors noted that e-cigarettes may help people quit smoking, but their results confirm that these devices are not harmless.
Further experiments with neutrophils showed that the impairment of neutrophil motility was associated with the accumulation of microfilaments (F-actin) inside the cells. Actin is usually found in tiny filaments inside cells, forming a network that maintains the shape of the cell.
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