E-Cigarette Liquid Concentration Linked to Lung Cell Death

A former graduate student at California State University, Fresno, Daniel “Danny” Ashley earned a master of public administration with distinction in 2019. While undertaking his biology degree at the same institution, Danny Ashley was active with the Fresno State cancer research laboratory, and he coauthored the paper “Evaluating the Impact of E-Cigarette Liquid on Lung Epithelial Cells.”

The paper looked at a product that has been promoted as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes and marketed to young smokers, although there is no credible evidence supporting this claim.

With nicotine one of the ingredients in e-liquid, a study hypothesis was that epithelial cells in the lung would exhibit cell death at elevated levels as exposure to nicotine progressed at increased concentrations.

The research involved application of e-juice to lung epithelial cells that were biologically relevant. These were the A549 (lung epithelial carcinoma) and CCL93 (lung fibroblast) cell lines. Over a five-day period, a cell-based cytotoxicity assay was employed in measuring cellular viability.

Through analyzing mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity, variables such as cellular viability, proliferation, and toxicity were measured among metabolically active cells. The findings supported the hypothesis, as there was a direct correlation between e-juice concentration and cell death.