Principal Investigator(s): Irfan Rahman

Funding Mechanism: National Institutes of Health – TCORS Grant

ID number: 1 U54 CA228110-01

Award Date: 9/14/18

Institution: University of Rochester

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Commonly-marketed flavors in emerging tobacco products such as e-cigarettes, cigarillos, and waterpipe tobacco include tobacco, mint/menthol, fruits/candy, coffee/tea, chocolate, berries, crème/butter, clove/cinnamon, and alcoholic beverages. Underlying these flavors are chemical flavorings, some of which have known respiratory toxicity (e.g., diacetyl, cinnamaldehyde). Comparative toxicity data would be useful to clarify the health effects of these tobacco products. The goal of this Center for Research on Flavored Tobacco Products (CRoFT) project is to determine and compare the effects of various flavorings in e-cigarettes, cigarillos, and waterpipe tobacco on toxicological and immune-inflammatory responses. Study aims are: (1) to determine comparative in vitro toxicity of selected tobacco product flavorings using (a) the aerosol exposure system for cell-free reactive oxygen species reactivity, and (b) exposure to human lung epithelial cells via air-liquid interface and 3D culture; (2) to determine comparative oxidative, DNA damage and immune-inflammatory responses to tobacco product flavorings in a mouse model to determine the link between flavoring toxicity and adverse respiratory health outcomes; and (3) to identify comparative biomarkers in response to tobacco product flavorings. Assessment of toxicity within the same class of flavorings across different types of tobacco products will allow a toxicity/hazard ranking and information related to flavoring-specific adverse health outcomes.
 

CRoFT TCORS: WNY Center for Research on Flavored Tobacco Products (CRoFT) – Related Resources

• CRoFT TCORS: WNY Center for Research on Flavored Tobacco Products (CRoFT)
• CRoFT TCORS Project 2: Human Thresholds for Characterizing Flavors and Impact on Behavior
• CRoFT TCORS Project 3: Respiratory Health Effects of Flavors
• CRoFT TCORS Project 4: Evaluating Effects of Packaging and Market Availability of Flavored Tobacco Products on Consumer Perception and Behavior
• The original scientific abstract and other project information can be found on the NIH website.