Additives in vaping products, such as flavors, preservatives, or thickening agents, are commonly used to enhance user experience. Among these, Vitamin E acetate (VEA) was initially thought to be harmless but has been implicated as the primary cause of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury, a serious lung disease. In our study, VEA serves as a proxy for other e-cigarette additives. To explore its harmful effects, we developed an exposure system to subject a pulmonary surfactant (PSurf) model to VEA-rich vapor. Through detailed analysis and atomic-level simulations, we found that VEA tends to cluster into aggregates on the PSurf surface, inducing deformations and weakening its essential elastic properties, critical for respiratory cycle function. Apart from VEA, our experiments also indicate that propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, widely used in e-liquid mixtures, or their thermal decomposition products, alter surfactant properties. This research provides molecular-level insights into the detrimental impacts of vaping product additives on lung health.

• Keywords
• EVALI, Lung surfactant, Molecular dynamics simulation, Pulmonary surfactant, Vaping-associated pulmonary injury,
• MeSH
• Acetates analysis   chemistry   MeSH
• Models, Biological MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Pulmonary Surfactants * chemistry   MeSH
• Propylene Glycol chemistry   MeSH
• Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems * MeSH
• Vaping * adverse effects   MeSH
• Vitamin E * MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Acetates MeSH
• Pulmonary Surfactants * MeSH
• Propylene Glycol MeSH
• Vitamin E * MeSH

SCOPE: The aim of this work is to identify which proapoptotic pathway is induced in human colon cancer cell lines, in contact with proanthocyanidins extracted from various berries. METHODS AND RESULTS: Proanthocyanidins (Pcys) extracted from 11 berry species are monitored for proapoptotic activities on two related human colon cancer cell lines: SW480-TRAIL-sensitive and SW620-TRAIL-resistant. Apoptosis induction is monitored by cell surface phosphatidylserine (PS) detection. Lowbush blueberry extract triggers the strongest activity. When tested on the human monocytic cell line THP-1, blueberry Pcys are less effective for PS externalisation and DNA fragmentation is absent, highlighting a specificity of apoptosis induction in gut cells. In Pcys-treated gut cell lines, caspase 8 (apoptosis extrinsic pathway) but not caspase 9 (apoptosis intrinsic pathway) is activated after 3 hours through P38 phosphorylation (90 min), emphasizing the potency of lowbush blueberry Pcys to eradicate gut TRAIL-resistant cancer cells. CONCLUSION: We highlight here that berries Pcys, especially lowbush blueberry Pcys, are of putative interest for nutritional chemoprevention of colorectal cancer in view of their apoptosis induction in a human colorectal cancer cell lines.

• MeSH
• fas Receptor metabolism   MeSH
• Apoptosis drug effects   MeSH
• Blueberry Plants chemistry   metabolism   MeSH
• Cell Line MeSH
• Drug Resistance, Neoplasm MeSH
• DNA metabolism   MeSH
• Phosphatidylserines metabolism   MeSH
• Phosphorylation drug effects   MeSH
• DNA Fragmentation drug effects   MeSH
• Caspase 3 metabolism   MeSH
• Caspase 8 metabolism   MeSH
• Caspase 9 metabolism   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases metabolism   MeSH
• Colonic Neoplasms metabolism   pathology   MeSH
• Fruit chemistry   metabolism   MeSH
• Proanthocyanidins chemistry   isolation & purification   toxicity   MeSH
• TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand toxicity   MeSH
• Plant Extracts chemistry   MeSH
• Receptors, TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand metabolism   MeSH
• Vaccinium vitis-idaea chemistry   metabolism   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• fas Receptor MeSH
• DNA MeSH
• FAS protein, human MeSH Browser
• Phosphatidylserines MeSH
• Caspase 3 MeSH
• Caspase 8 MeSH
• Caspase 9 MeSH
• p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases MeSH
• Proanthocyanidins MeSH
• TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand MeSH
• Plant Extracts MeSH
• Receptors, TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand MeSH