UCSF TCORS Project 2: Short-Term Cardiovascular Effects of E-Cigarettes: Influence of Device Power and E-Liquid pH and How E-Cigarettes Compare with Heat-Not-Burn Products
Principal Investigator(s): Gideon St. Helen
Funding Mechanism: National Institutes of Health – TCORS Grant
ID number: 9-U54HL147127-06
Award Date: 8/29/18
Institution: University of California, San Francisco
This project will provide more information about how specific aspects of e-cigarettes influence their overall health effects, including short-term cardiovascular effects. The goal of this project is to evaluate the impact of e-cigarette power on cardiovascular effects; the influence of e-liquid pH on rate of systemic nicotine absorption, nicotine-induced sympathetic nervous system stimulation, and heart rate increase (a risk factor for cardiovascular disease); and the health effects of heated tobacco products (HTPs), which heat tobacco without combustion. Study aims are: (1) to determine the impact of e-cigarette power on nicotine pharmacology, systemic exposure to toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and short-term cardiovascular effects; (2) to determine the impact of changes in e-liquid pH on nicotine pharmacokinetics, cardiovascular, and subjective effects of e-cigarettes; and (3) to compare differences in nicotine pharmacology, systemic exposure to toxic VOCs, and short-term cardiovascular effects of e-cigarettes and an HTP (iQOS). These aims will be achieved through three studies, one study for each aim. Each study will be conducted on an inpatient research ward and will include 21 healthy users (age >21) of e-cigarettes and/or an HTP. Studies 1 and 2 will test different electrical power and e-liquid pH levels, respectively. Study 3 will be a within-subject comparison of toxicant exposure and the cardiovascular effects of e-cigarettes compared to iQOS. Study endpoints will include markers of cardiovascular disease risk, such as heart rate and blood pressure changes, hormonal release, biomarkers of endothelial function, platelet activation, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Findings will contribute to knowledge of the influence of e-cigarette characteristics on short-term cardiovascular effects and may inform future regulatory activities.
UCSF TCORS: Health, Behavioral and Economic Research on Tobacco Products: Related Resources
- UCSF TCORS: Integrated Health, Behavioral and Economic Research on Current and Emerging Tobacco Products
- UCSF TCORS Project 1: Impact of Different E-Cigarette Characteristics on Acute Lung Injury
- UCSF TCORS Project 3: Cardiovascular Health Effects of Emerging Heat-Not-Burn Tobacco Products
- UCSF TCORS Project 4: Current and Emerging Tobacco Products in a Rural Context: Influences of Product Characteristics on Perceptions, Behaviors, and Biologic Exposures
- UCSF TCORS Project 5: Impact of Changing Tobacco Product Use on Healthcare Costs for General and Vulnerable Populations
- The original scientific abstract and other project information can be found on the NIH website.