Human gingival fibroblasts (HGF) play a vital role in wound healing, oral cancer, and are among the first cells being exposed to e-cigarette vapor (eCV) or cigarette smoke (CS) during inhalation. Although the cell-damaging effect of CS has been well studied, the effects of eCV on gingival cells are still unclear. The aim of this in vitro study was to compare the effects of eCV and CS on HGF in terms of proliferation, metabolic activity, cell death, and formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

After 24 h cell numbers in CS-exposed cells in contrast to eCV-exposed cells were significantly decreased compared to the control. At later points in time, such differences could no longer be observed. Compared to the control, HGF stimulated with eCV showed a significantly higher metabolic activity 1 h, 24 h, and 48 h after exposure. 24 h after exposure, the metabolic activity was increased in both test groups. No caspase 3/7 activation nor significant differences in the amount of apoptosis/necrosis among the groups were seen. Only in CS-exposed cells ROS formation was increased at 1 h, 3 h, and 6 h after exposition.

In conclusion, when compared to conventional CS, a less harmful effect of eCV on HGF can be assumed.

人牙龈成纤维细胞 (HGF) 在伤口愈合、口腔癌中起着至关重要的作用，并且是吸入过程中最先暴露于电子烟蒸气 (eCV) 或香烟烟雾 (CS) 的细胞之一。尽管 CS 的细胞损伤作用已得到充分研究，但 eCV 对牙龈细胞的影响仍不清楚。这项体外研究的目的是比较 eCV 和 CS 在增殖、代谢活性、细胞死亡和活性氧 (ROS) 形成方面对 HGF 的影响。

在 24 小时后，与 eCV 暴露的细胞相比，CS 暴露的细胞中的细胞数量显着减少。在以后的时间点，这种差异不再被观察到。与对照相比，用 eCV 刺激的 HGF 在暴露后 1 小时、24 小时和 48 小时显示出显着更高的代谢活性。暴露后 24 小时，两个试验组的代谢活动均增加。没有观察到半胱天冬酶 3/7 激活，也没有观察到组间凋亡/坏死数量的显着差异。仅在暴露于 CS 的细胞中，ROS 形成在暴露后 1 小时、3 小时和 6 小时增加。

总之，与传统 CS 相比，可以假设 eCV 对 HGF 的有害影响较小。