GPR68: a promising new diagnostic tool to control vascular pathology from E-cig secondhand exposure

The pathobiology of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and cigarette smoke exposure share similarities including inflammation, extracellular matrix and vessel wall remodeling, and phenotypic conversion of vascular smooth muscle (VSM). The discovery of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) as a ?healthy alternative? to traditional cigarette use has been met with skepticism as its adverse impacts are starting to be realized. Complicating the issue, while active smoke inhalation is voluntary and leads to firsthand, mainstream exposure, secondhand inhalation is involuntary and environmental in origin. Both firsthand and secondhand smoke exposure are detrimental to human health and pose significant health risks. Further, the prevalence of e-cig use has steadily increased over the past decade, magnifying the environmental burden of secondhand smoke. Successful detection of e-cig exposure, needed to adequately monitor tissue impact, is lacking in cardiovascular tissues. Regrettably, our grasp of the influence of e-cig secondhand smoke exposure on the cardiovascular system including VSM is severely limited.

VIVO