# The adverse chronic effects of e-cigarettes: puff profiles, sex, genetics, and flavorings as modifying factors

> **NIH NIH R01** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2021 · $377,055

## Abstract

Abstract
 Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs), were introduced to the U.S. market only 10 years ago and are markedly
different from traditional tobacco-based cigarettes. Whereas traditional cigarettes are smoked through
combustion, e-cigarettes are “vaped” (i.e., heated), and the resultant aerosols contain a far smaller number of
potentially toxic chemicals, such as nicotine and flavorings (e.g., cinnamaldehyde and diacetyl), as well as
byproducts (e.g., acrolein and formaldehyde) caused by the potential overheating of these agents, propylene
glycol, and glycerin. Thus, although e-cigarettes are widely believed and marketed as a safer alternative to
cigarette smoking, the actual danger posed by its use remains largely unexplored. As the use of e-cigs
steadily rises, the number of health effects studies is still relatively small and have focused on short term
effects. These studies, however, have demonstrated adverse pulmonary and cardiovascular effects in human
subjects and test animals. To date, some long term human health effects studies have investigated e-
cigarettes as cessation devices, but such epidemiology studies are confounded by the `poly-use' of e-
cigarettes and previous (and possibly concurrent) traditional tobacco cigarettes. Therefore, the studies
proposed in this grant application will avoid this confounding and utilize established animal models, previously
used in long-term tobacco studies, to investigate the adverse cardiopulmonary effects of e-cigarettes after
chronic inhalation exposures. In particular, the proposed experiments are designed to discern: 1) the toxicity of
the e-liquid aerosols themselves, with and without added flavorings, generated at different voltages (i.e.
heating coil temperatures); and 2) the contribution of innate modifying factors, such as sex, glutathione
biomarkers and pathways, and genetics, to e-cigarette toxicity. We will test the overall hypothesis that chronic
exposure to e-cigarette aerosols produces adverse cardiopulmonary effects and that these effects are modified
by innate factors, such as genetic heterogeneity and sex (i.e., gender), and exogenous factors, such as
flavorings and e-cigarette coil temperature.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9994260
- **Project number:** 5R01CA239253-03
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Terry Gordon
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $377,055
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-20 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9994260

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9994260, The adverse chronic effects of e-cigarettes: puff profiles, sex, genetics, and flavorings as modifying factors (5R01CA239253-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9994260. Licensed CC0.

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