{"doi":"10.17615/crbq-4q33","title":"E-cigarette use causes a unique innate immune response in the lung, involving increased neutrophilic activation and altered mucin secretion","abstract":"Rationale: E-cigarettes have become increasingly popular and little is known about their potential adverse health effects. Objectives: To determine the effects of e-cigarette use on the airways. Methods: Induced sputum samples from cigarette smokers, e-cigarette users, and nonsmokers were analyzed by quantitative proteomics, and the total and individual concentrations of mucins MUC5AC and MUC5B were determined by light scattering/refractometry and labeled mass spectrometry, respectively. Neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation rates were also determined for the same groups. Measurements and Main Results: E-cigarette users exhibited significant increases in aldehyde-detoxification and oxidative stress-related proteins associated with cigarette smoke compared with nonsmokers. The levels of innate defense proteins associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, such as elastase and matrix metalloproteinase-9, were significantly elevated in e-cigarette users as well. E-cigarette users' sputum also uniquely exhibited significant increases in neutrophil granulocyte-related and NET-related proteins, such as myeloperoxidase, azurocidin, and protein-arginine deiminase 4, despite no significant elevation in neutrophil cell counts. Peripheral neutrophils from e-cigarette users showed increased susceptibility to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-induced NETosis. Finally, a compositional change in the gel-forming building blocks of airway mucus (i.e., an elevated concentration of mucin MUC5AC) was observed in both cigarette smokers and e-cigarette users. Conclusions: Together, our results indicate that e-cigarette use alters the profile of innate defense proteins in airway secretions, inducing similar and unique changes relative to cigarette smoking. These data challenge the concept that e-cigarettes are a healthier alternative to cigarettes.","journal":"UNC Libraries","year":2020,"id":64291,"datarank":0.0,"base_score":0.0,"endowment":0.0,"self_citation_contribution":0.0,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.0,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":36,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":0.9581,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":true,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":"2020-01-01","fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":340959,"name":"P.W. Clapp","orcid":null,"position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":340960,"name":"M.E. Rebuli","orcid":null,"position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":340961,"name":"P. Haridass","orcid":null,"position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":340962,"name":"I. Jaspers","orcid":null,"position":4,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":340963,"name":"M. Kesimer","orcid":null,"position":5,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":340964,"name":"B. Reidel","orcid":null,"position":6,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":340965,"name":"G. Radicioni","orcid":null,"position":7,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":340966,"name":"N.E. Alexis","orcid":null,"position":8,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":340967,"name":"A.A. Ford","orcid":null,"position":9,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":340958,"name":"S. Abdelwahab","orcid":null,"position":0,"is_corresponding":true}],"reference_count":0,"raw_metadata":null,"created_at":"2026-07-18T21:12:32.635050Z","pmid":null,"pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}