Biologically important changes in
DNA seen in smokers are also being found in people who vape, according to a new
study published in the journal Epigenetics.
A team of
scientists at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have found people who vape
exhibit similar chemical modifications in their overall genome and in parts of
their DNA as people who smoke cigarettes.
These specific
chemical alterations, also known as epigenetic changes, can cause genes to
malfunction — and are commonly found in nearly all types of human cancer as
well as other serious diseases.
The findings add
to a growing list of health concerns associated with vaping, which is perceived
by many as a safer alternative to smoking. E-cigarette use has soared among
youth, with more than 25 percent of high school students now using the
products, according to the CDC.
The new study,
led by Ahmad Besaratinia, PhD, associate professor at the Keck School of Medicine
of USC, examined a group of people matched for age, gender and race, divided
equally into three categories: vapers only, smokers only and a control group of
people who neither vaped nor smoked.
Blood was drawn
from each of the participants and tested for changes in levels of two specific
chemical tags attached to DNA that are known to impact gene activity and/or
function. These chemical tags include: (1) methyl groups in a specific DNA
sequence, named Long Interspersed Nucleotide Element 1 (LINE-1); and (2)
hydroxymethyl groups in the genome overall. Changes in the levels of these
chemical tags, which are important for genomic stability and regulation of gene
expression, occur in various stages of development, as well as in diseases such
as cancer.
Of the 45 study
participants, vapers and smokers both showed significant reduction in the
levels of both chemical tags compared to the control group. This is the first
study to show that vapers, like smokers, have these biologically important
changes detectable in their blood cells.
“That doesn’t
mean that these people are going to develop cancer,” said Besaratinia. “But
what we are seeing is that the same changes in chemical tags detectable in
tumors from cancer patients are also found in people who vape or smoke,
presumably due to exposure to cancer-causing chemicals present in cigarette
smoke and, generally at much lower levels, in electronic cigarettes’ vapor.”
This is the newest study Besaratinia’s team has done on vapers and
smokers. Their earlier study published last year (IJMS, 2019)
examined changes in gene expression in epithelial cells taken from the mouths
of vapers and smokers compared to a control group. In that study, both vapers
and smokers showed abnormal gene expression in a large number of genes linked
to cancer.
“Our new study
adds an important piece to that puzzle by demonstrating that epigenetic
mechanisms, specifically changes in chemical tags attached to the DNA, may contribute
to the abnormal expression of genes in vapers and smokers alike,” said
Besaratinia.
He and his team
plan to continue their research. The next step is to look at the whole genome
and identify all the genes targeted by these two chemical changes in vapers
versus smokers.
“Considering the
established role many genes play in human diseases, this investigation should
provide invaluable information, which may have immediate public health and
policy implications, said Besaratinia. “The epidemic of teen vaping and the
recent outbreak of vaping-related severe lung injury and deaths in the U.S.
underscore the importance of generating scientific evidence on which future
regulations for electronic cigarette manufacturing, marketing, and distribution
can be based.”
Source: https://myfusimotors.com/2020/02/13/vapers-show-chemical-changes-in-their-genome-linked-to-cancer/
No comments:
Post a Comment