Vanillin, a popular flavoring often added to e-cigarette liquids, can disrupt the normal development of human embryonic cells, according to researchers at the University of California, Riverside, who conducted a laboratory study, reports infohub.kz.
The authors say the findings may also explain a possible link between vaping and difficulties conceiving, as well as miscarriages.
“Very little is known about how vaping might affect embryo development in pregnant women who use e-cigarettes. So we conducted a study to determine whether vanillin, a flavoring agent often used in e-cigarettes at high concentrations, could negatively affect the development of young human embryos,” said Prue Talbot, a professor in the Graduate Program at the Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology at UC Riverside.
The scientists ran a series of laboratory tests using human embryonic stem cells, which are similar to cells from 3-week-old human embryos. They exposed the cells to nanomolar (low) or micromolar (high) concentrations of vanillin.
“We found that micromolar concentrations tended to kill the cells. Nanomolar concentrations led to a loss of pluripotency, that is, the ability to develop into all cell types. Vanillin also caused the stem cells to differentiate into endoderm, rather than ectoderm or mesoderm,” Talbot explained.
Endoderm is the embryonic tissue that gives rise to the lining of the gut and airways. Talbot stressed that these changes are potentially very serious and could hinder normal embryo development.
The researchers also looked at menthol flavoring in e-cigarettes and found it contributes to respiratory diseases in humans. They are now studying WS-23, a synthetic cooling agent often used in e-cigarettes, and investigating the effects of menthol and WS-23 on embryonic cell differentiation.
However, the study notes that because the findings are based on laboratory research, the scientists cannot say with certainty that similar effects would be observed in women and their embryos. Further studies are needed.