Abstract
Electronic (E)-cigarettes are the latest form of nicotine delivery device and are highly popular in the general population. It is currently unknown whether vaping E-cigarettes (E-CIGs) leads to nicotine addiction. Alterations in the levels of the neurotransmitters in the mesocorticolimbic areas have been reported to mediate the initiation and development of nicotine addiction. Therefore, to determine whether E-CIGs activate the same addiction pathways as conventional cigarettes, we investigated for the effects of daily inhalation of nicotine (24 mg/ml)-containing E-CIG vapor for 6 months on the concentrations of these neurotransmitters in the frontal cortex (FC) and striatum (STR) of male C57BL/6 mice as compared to control group that was exposed to air only. We reported here that 6-month E-CIG vapor containing nicotine inhalation decreased dopamine concentration only in the STR. There were no changes in serotonin concentrations in the FC or STR. Chronic E-CIG exposure also increased glutamate concentration in the STR alone, while glutamine concentrations were increased in both the FC and STR. We found that E-CIG exposure also decreased GABA concentration only in the FC. These data suggest that chronic E-CIG use alters homeostasis of several neurotransmitters in the mesocorticolimbic areas, which may result in the development of nicotine dependence in E-CIG users.
Highlights
The use of electronic (E)-cigarettes worldwide is substantial, with use ranging from 1 to 25% across populations (Delnevo et al, 2015; Palipudi et al, 2015; Singh, 2016; Zhong et al, 2016)
We evaluated the concentrations of gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the frontal cortex (FC) and STR of mice after long-term exposure to E-CIG vapors to investigate whether E-CIG use induces any alterations in the inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA, and the excitatory neurotransmitters dopamine and glutamate
We determined the concentrations of dopamine in the FC and STR in mice exposed to only air- or nicotine-containing E-CIG vapor for 6 months
Summary
The use of electronic (E)-cigarettes worldwide is substantial, with use ranging from 1 to 25% across populations (Delnevo et al, 2015; Palipudi et al, 2015; Singh, 2016; Zhong et al, 2016). Effects of E-Cigarette Nicotine on Neurotransmitters et al, 2016), research studies have reported that E-cigarette (E-CIG) vapor induces inflammation and impairs host defense and has other notable toxicological effects (Vardavas et al, 2012; Hwang et al, 2016; Yu et al, 2016; Canistro et al, 2017; Crotty Alexander et al, 2018). The same study found that E-CIG vapor inhalation altered the function of cardiovascular system; this involves reduction in the heart rate and increases in the blood pressure (Crotty Alexander et al, 2018). For the first time, we reported the effects of chronic inhalation of nicotine-containing E-CIG vapor on the tissue contents of several neurotransmitters in the frontal cortex (FC) and striatum (STR) in male C57BL/6 mice
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