Vape E-liquid formulation affects craniofacial growth and development
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Date
2023-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Despite the growing popularity of electronic cigarette products (vape) over the past decade, there is currently a lack of regulation and consistency in the vape industry concerning formulation of the electronic liquids (E-liquids) used in these products. The two main constituents in most E-liquids are the humectants propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG). It has been shown that PG-based E-liquids generate more carcinogenic carbonyls and increase the concentration of nicotine delivered compared to VG-based E-liquids. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that a VG-based formulation (30:70 PG:VG) would result in fewer negative effects on craniofacial growth and development compared to an evenly concentrated formulation (50:50 PG:VG). Two groups of pregnant mice, the 50:50 PG:VG group and the 30:70 PG:VG group were split into three groups each, nicotine + carrier exposure (vape), carrier only exposure (carrier), and control exposure (control) to produce in utero exposed litters. Somatic and cephalometric measurements of the resulting litters were used to compare the impact of these different E-liquid formulations on craniofacial development. For the 50:50 PG:VG groups, there was significant decreases in cranial base length (Vape vs Carrier, p=0.032, Vape vs Control, p=0.010), weight (Vape vs Control, p=0.002), and posterior facial width (Vape vs. Control, p=0.009). For the 30:70 comparisons, there was a significant decrease in midfacial width (p=0.040) due to vape exposure, but no other discernible differences. The results support the original hypothesis by showing more significant differences resulting from the 50:50 PG:VG formulation compared to the 30:70 PG:VG formulation and suggest greater effects with increased PG concentrations. This insight can be important for decision making regarding the regulation of E-liquid formulations.
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Keywords
vape, craniofacial, development, vape E-liquid