Scientists found significant differences in the effect of e-cigarette vapor and tobacco cigarette smoke on lab-cultured heart cells. They found that tobacco cigarette smoke, but not vapor from e-cigarettes, triggered a stress response in the heart cells.

Share on Pinterest The study compared the effect on heart cells of tobacco cigarette smoke and e-cigarette aerosol.

In a paper published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, researchers from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom explain how they ran tests on the vapor and smoke using heart cells grown in the lab from donated human coronary artery endothelial cells.

The past few years have seen a rapid rise in the use of e-cigarettes (electronic cigarettes) – products that deliver nicotine via aerosol or vapor that is inhaled by the user.

Many people believe e-cigarettes are less harmful to health than conventional cigarettes, but there is not a lot of scientific evidence to back this up, say the researchers.

The researchers are not saying that the evidence to date does not support this view, only that the body of evidence itself is small, likely because it is still early days. “Absence of evidence does not equal evidence of absence,” as the adage goes.

In their paper, they mention a need for robust laboratory models that can reliably quantify the biological effects of e-cigarettes, compared with tobacco products.

For example, there is some evidence that chemicals present in e-cigarette vapor can be harmful, but this depends on many variables, including the solution that is used and the battery output voltage.

Also, much of the research published to date on e-cigarette toxicity has used diluted refill solutions (e-liquid), say the authors, noting that even if the levels in the e-liquid are found to be toxic, it does not necessarily mean that the levels delivered via aerosol will be.