Formation of Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamines from the Atmospheric Aging of Nicotine in E-Cigarette Aerosols

IF 4.1 3区医学 Q2 CHEMISTRY, MEDICINAL

Chemical Research in Toxicology Pub Date : 2026-10-19 Epub Date: 2026-09-18 DOI:10.1021/acs.chemrestox.6c00246

Wonsik Woo, Linhui Tian, Ying-Hsuan Lin

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Abstract

The atmospheric aging of nicotine-containing e-cigarette aerosols in the presence of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and ozone (O₃) may significantly alter their chemical composition and toxicological properties. However, the chemical transformation of nicotine within the complex e-cigarette aerosol matrix and its interaction with atmospheric oxidants remain largely uncharacterized. This study investigated the formation of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) from the aging of nicotine in e-cigarette aerosols exposed to NO₂ and O₃. We observed that NO₂ facilitates the formation of N′-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) through direct nitrosation pathways, whereas O₃ alone does not significantly contribute to TSNA production. In contrast, the presence of both oxidants enhanced the formation of nicotine-derived nitrosamine ketone (NNK), suggesting that oxidative transformation of nicotine plays an important role in its formation. FIGAERO-ToF-CIMS measurements identified several nicotine transformation products in aged e-cigarette aerosols that are not present in the fresh emissions, indicating chemical transformation during aging. Furthermore, long-amplicon qPCR analysis revealed that BEAS-2B cells exposed to aged aerosols experienced increased DNA damage, demonstrating enhanced genotoxic potential relative to their fresh counterparts. These findings indicate that atmospheric aging can convert nicotine into carcinogenic TSNAs and other reactive intermediates, increasing the potential health risks associated with secondhand and thirdhand vaping exposure. This work highlights the importance of considering chemically aged aerosols when evaluating the toxicity of e-cigarette emissions.

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电子烟气溶胶中尼古丁的大气老化形成烟草特异性亚硝胺

含尼古丁电子烟气溶胶在二氧化氮（NO2）和臭氧（O3）存在下的大气老化可能会显著改变其化学成分和毒理学特性。然而，尼古丁在复杂电子烟气溶胶基质中的化学转化及其与大气氧化剂的相互作用在很大程度上仍未被表征。本研究调查了暴露于NO2和do3的电子烟气溶胶中尼古丁老化形成的烟草特异性亚硝胺（TSNAs）。我们观察到，NO2通过直接亚硝化途径促进N ' -亚硝基索烟碱（NNN）的形成，而O3单独对tsna的产生没有显著贡献。相比之下，两种氧化剂的存在都促进了尼古丁衍生的亚硝胺酮（NNK）的形成，这表明尼古丁的氧化转化在其形成中起着重要作用。FIGAERO-ToF-CIMS测量发现，在陈年电子烟气雾剂中，有几种尼古丁转化产物不存在于新鲜排放物中，这表明在陈年过程中发生了化学转化。此外，长扩增子qPCR分析显示，暴露于老化气溶胶中的beas - 2b细胞DNA损伤增加，显示出相对于新鲜气溶胶增强的遗传毒性潜力。这些发现表明，大气老化可以将尼古丁转化为致癌的tsna和其他活性中间体，增加与二手和三手电子烟暴露相关的潜在健康风险。这项工作强调了在评估电子烟排放物的毒性时考虑化学老化气溶胶的重要性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Chemical Research in Toxicology 医学-毒理学

CiteScore

7.90

自引率

7.30%

发文量

215

审稿时长

3.5 months

期刊介绍： Chemical Research in Toxicology publishes Articles, Rapid Reports, Chemical Profiles, Reviews, Perspectives, Letters to the Editor, and ToxWatch on a wide range of topics in Toxicology that inform a chemical and molecular understanding and capacity to predict biological outcomes on the basis of structures and processes. The overarching goal of activities reported in the Journal are to provide knowledge and innovative approaches needed to promote intelligent solutions for human safety and ecosystem preservation. The journal emphasizes insight concerning mechanisms of toxicity over phenomenological observations. It upholds rigorous chemical, physical and mathematical standards for characterization and application of modern techniques.