# E-cigarettes and perturbations in the subgingival ecosystem

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2022 · $586,947

## Abstract

Despite having been introduced ten years ago, little is known of the impact of electronic nicotine
delivery systems (ENDS or e-cigarettes or e-cigs) on human health. ENDS usage is rapidly rising among
adolescents and young adults and this is partially due to a perception that e-cigs are safer than cigarettes and
other nicotine replacement therapies. However, these products vary widely in nicotine content, propylene
glycol, glycerol, additives and flavorings; all of which are poorly studied. Therefore, there is an urgent need for
biological investigations that will improve our understanding of how ENDS impact human health. The initial
point of contact of ENDS, and the first-affected system in humans is the oral cavity. It is known that nicotine
impacts oral health, acting as a cytotoxic agent as well as increasing virulence of certain bacteria. Oral health
is dependent upon an intricate balance between the microbial ecosystem and host immunity. Based on our
preliminary studies that ENDS alter the compositional structure and the functional potential of the oral
ecosystem, we hypothesize that e-cigs will impact this microbial-mucosal homeostasis. We propose to test this
hypothesis by combining novel clinical study designs with integrated `-omics' approaches and computational
bioinformatics. This approach will bridge the gap between purely clinical outcome-based studies, in vitro
investigations and in vivo investigations using animal models. First, the biological effects of different
formulations of ENDS on an in vitro model of the oral host-microbial interactome will be examined through dual
transcriptome-metatranscriptome sequencing. Second, we will observe the effects of ENDS on host-bacterial
interactions over time by combining a multi-arm, longitudinal clinical study with a network analysis algorithm.
The proposed studies will bring us closer to understanding the role of ENDS in disrupting oral ecological
homeostasis, provide biologically-validated timelines for assessing risk associated with ENDS use, and
develop indicators or predictors of exposure.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10690240
- **Project number:** 7R01DE027857-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Purnima Kumar
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $586,947
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10690240

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10690240, E-cigarettes and perturbations in the subgingival ecosystem (7R01DE027857-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10690240. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*