AUTHOR=Espinoza-Derout Jorge , Shao Xuesi M. , Lao Candice J. , Hasan Kamrul M. , Rivera Juan Carlos , Jordan Maria C. , Echeverria Valentina , Roos Kenneth P. , Sinha-Hikim Amiya P. , Friedman Theodore C. 

TITLE=Electronic Cigarette Use and the Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2022.879726

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2022.879726

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=<p>Electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes are the most frequently used tobacco product among adolescents. Despite the widespread use of e-cigarettes and the known detrimental cardiac consequences of nicotine, the effects of e-cigarettes on the cardiovascular system are not well-known. Several <italic>in vitro</italic> and <italic>in vivo</italic> studies delineating the mechanisms of the impact of e-cigarettes on the cardiovascular system have been published. These include mechanisms associated with nicotine or other components of the aerosol or thermal degradation products of e-cigarettes. The increased hyperlipidemia, sympathetic dominance, endothelial dysfunction, DNA damage, and macrophage activation are prominent effects of e-cigarettes. Additionally, oxidative stress and inflammation are unifying mechanisms at many levels of the cardiovascular impairment induced by e-cigarette exposure. This review outlines the contribution of e-cigarettes in the development of cardiovascular diseases and their molecular underpinnings.</p>