ArticleJournal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research2021
Sex differences in the induction of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) in mouse lungs after e-cigarette vapor exposure and its relevance to COVID-19.
Article in Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- The triple-hit hypothesis: exploring pulmonary e-cigarette, PMEuropean respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2026Review
- Dual Exposure to E-Cigarette Vapour and Cigarette Smoke Results in Poorer Airway Cell, Monocyte, and Macrophage Function Than Single Exposure.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- E-cigarette Use and Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis.Cureus · 2024Review
- Does vaping increase the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 infection? Paradoxically yes and no.American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology · 2024Article
- Sex Differences in E-Cigarette Use and Related Health Effects.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Review
- The controversial effect of smoking and nicotine in SARS-CoV-2 infection.Allergy, asthma, and clinical immunology : official journal of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · 2023Review
- New insights into how popular electronic cigarette aerosols and aerosol constituents affect SARS-CoV-2 infection of human bronchial epithelial cells.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- E-Cigarette Vapour Increases ACE2 and TMPRSS2 Expression in a Flavour- and Nicotine-Dependent Manner.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- New Insights into How JUUL™ Electronic Cigarette Aerosols and Aerosol Constituents Affect SARS-CoV-2 Infection of Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2022Article
- E-cigarette use and intentions related to psychological distress among cigarette, e-cigarette, and cannabis vape users during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC psychology · 2022Article
- SARS-CoV-2 Causes Lung Infection without Severe Disease in Human ACE2 Knock-In Mice.Journal of virology · 2022Article
- Combustible and Electronic Cigarette Exposures Increase ACE2 Activity and SARS-CoV-2 Spike Binding.American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine · 2022Article
- Questioning the sex-specific differences in the association of smoking on the survival rate of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.PloS one · 2021Article
- Symptoms COVID 19 Positive Vapers Compared to COVID 19 Positive Non-vapers.Journal of primary care & community healthArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected over 114 million people and has resulted in >2.5 million deaths so far. Some people have greater susceptibility which influences both SARS-CoV-2 infectivity and COVID-19 severity. Smoking is associated with increased ACE-2, the receptor for SARS-CoV-2, which facilitates its entry through the lung. However, despite the widespread use of e-cigarettes, also known as 'vaping', little is known regarding the effects of vaping on ACE-2 expression and how this affects SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition, the added effect of nicotine in the vapor is also unknown. Thus, we tested whether vaping induces ACE-2 expression in the mouse lung. BALB/c mice exposed to e-cigarette vapor (±nicotine) resulted in a significant increase in peribronchiolar inflammation and influx of immune cells into the airways. Vapor increased monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, interleukin 1β, and KC levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in both sexes, which were further enhanced by nicotine (whereas increase in interleukin 6 was sex and nicotine independent). The reduction in basal inspiratory capacity with vapor exposure occurred independent of sex or nicotine. The increase in methacholine-induced airway hyper-responsiveness was independent of sex; however, in female mice it was only significant in the nicotine-exposed group. Lung ACE-2 expression was increased in male mice in a nicotine-dependent manner as compared with female mice. Collectively, while vaping (±nicotine) induced airway inflammation and impaired lung function, the induction of lung ACE-2 occurred to a significantly greater degree in males exposed to vapor containing nicotine as compared with females. Thus, via these effects on ACE-2 expression in the lungs and airways, vaping itself may facilitate SARS-CoV-2 entry into the airways.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.