Identification of toxicants in cinnamon-flavored electronic cigarette refill fluids (ScienceDirect; Toxicology in Vitro)
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According to data from a March 2014 study in the Journal, Toxicology in Vitro published on Science Direct cinnamon flavorings in refill fluids are linked to cytotoxicity, which could adversely affect EC users.
In a prior study on electronic cigarette (EC) refill fluids, Cinnamon Ceylon was the most cytotoxic of 36 products tested. The purpose of the current study was to determine if high cytotoxicity is a general feature of cinnamon-flavored EC refill fluids and to identify the toxicant(s) in Cinnamon Ceylon.
The amount of each chemical in the refill fluids was quantified using HPLC, and cytotoxicity correlated with the amount of CAD/product. Duplicate bottles of the same product were similar, but varied in their concentrations of 2MOCA. These data show that the cinnamon flavorings in refill fluids are linked to cytotoxicity, which could adversely affect EC users.
The highlights from the Study are as follows:
- Most cinnamon-flavored refill fluids were cytotoxic to embryonic and adult cells.
- Human embryonic stem cells were more sensitive than adult pulmonary fibroblasts.
- Four chemicals were identified in cinnamon-flavored refill fluids.
- Dipropylene glycol and vanillin had low cytotoxicity.
- Cinnamaldehyde and 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde were cytotoxic in the MTT assay.
Read the full study on Science Direct