Use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) is becoming increasingly prevalent. ENDS aerosols contain a variety of toxic components that may adversely impact health. Although exposure to traditional cigarette smoke is a risk factor for periodontal disease, the effects of ENDS on oral health have not been adequately examined. To evaluate potential oral health effects associated with ENDS use, a pilot study was performed with 14 current ENDS users and 16 never tobacco users. Participants completed questionnaires about their ENDS use and overall health. Saliva samples were assessed for differential biomarkers of inflammation, toxicity, and disease development. This included evaluation of specific inflammatory cytokines and the global assessment of alterations in metabolites. ENDS users were determined to have elevated saliva levels of interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α indicative of inflammation. Metabolite profiling determined 368 metabolites were differentially expressed in the saliva of ENDS users versus never tobacco users. Cotinine, the primary metabolite of nicotine, was the most significantly altered metabolite between the groups. Increased levels of prostaglandins and leukotrienes indicated that ENDS users exhibited increased arachidonic acid metabolism compared to never tobacco users. Additionally, a variety of other metabolites known to be involved in immune signaling such as gangliosides, ceramides, angiotensin, and others were also different between groups. Overall, our pilot study demonstrates differential saliva component profiles in current ENDS users, which may contribute to periodontal disease development. These alterations suggest specific pathways of oral disease induced by ENDS use and could be utilized as potential future biomarkers.

Impact statement

The use of traditional tobacco products is a known risk factor for the development of diseases including periodontal disease. To date, the potential oral health effects related to electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use is unknown. This study collected saliva from ENDS users and never tobacco users to examine differences in the oral cavity of inflammatory cytokines and metabolites. The identification and measurement of these ENDS-related changes provide insight into disease pathways potentially associated with ENDS use. The utilization of saliva samples collected from human participates enhances the application of the findings compared to the majority of studies using cell culture and animal models. In addition, these foundational findings can inform future studies to examining specific pathways identified, interventional approaches, and application of translatable biomarkers of ENDS use.

中文翻译：

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通过唾液评估电子尼古丁传递系统引起的口腔健康改变。

电子尼古丁传送系统 (ENDS) 的使用正变得越来越普遍。ENDS 气溶胶含有多种可能对健康产生不利影响的有毒成分。尽管接触传统香烟烟雾是牙周病的危险因素，但 ENDS 对口腔健康的影响尚未得到充分研究。为了评估与 ENDS 使用相关的潜在口腔健康影响，对 14 名当前 ENDS 用户和 16 名从不吸烟的用户进行了一项试点研究。参与者完成了有关其 ENDS 使用和整体健康状况的调查问卷。评估唾液样本的炎症、毒性和疾病发展的差异生物标志物。这包括对特定炎性细胞因子的评估和对代谢物改变的整体评估。ENDS 使用者的唾液中白细胞介素-1β 和肿瘤坏死因子-α 水平升高，表明炎症。代谢物分析确定 368 种代谢物在 ENDS 使用者与从不吸烟者的唾液中差异表达。尼古丁的主要代谢物可替宁是各组之间变化最显着的代谢物。前列腺素和白三烯水平的增加表明，与从不吸烟的使用者相比，ENDS 使用者表现出增加的花生四烯酸代谢。此外，已知参与免疫信号传导的各种其他代谢物，如神经节苷脂、神经酰胺、血管紧张素等，在各组之间也不同。总体而言，我们的试点研究展示了当前 ENDS 用户的不同唾液成分特征，这可能有助于牙周病的发展。这些改变表明使用 ENDS 诱发口腔疾病的特定途径，可用作未来潜在的生物标志物。

影响陈述

使用传统烟草产品是导致牙周病等疾病发展的已知风险因素。迄今为止，与使用电子尼古丁传递系统 (ENDS) 相关的潜在口腔健康影响尚不清楚。这项研究收集了 ENDS 使用者和从不吸烟者的唾液，以检查口腔中炎性细胞因子和代谢物的差异。这些 ENDS 相关变化的识别和测量提供了对可能与 ENDS 使用相关的疾病途径的洞察。与使用细胞培养和动物模型的大多数研究相比，从人类参与者收集的唾液样本的利用增强了研究结果的应用。此外，这些基础发现可以为未来的研究提供信息，以检查已确定的特定途径、干预方法、