Published October 23, 2020 | Version v1
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SACCHARIN TRANSIT TIME IN EXCLUSIVE E-CIGARETTES AND HEATED TOBACCO PRODUCTS USERS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Authors/Creators

  • 1. Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Tobacco Addiction (CPCT), Teaching Hospital "Policlinico - V. Emanuele", University of Catania, Catania, Italy; Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), University of Catania Catania, Italy; Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
  • 2. Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Tobacco Addiction (CPCT), Teaching Hospital "Policlinico - V. Emanuele", University of Catania, Catania, Italy; Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), University of Catania Catania, Italy;
  • 3. National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology, Palermo, Italy
  • 4. Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Tobacco Addiction (CPCT), Teaching Hospital "Policlinico - V. Emanuele", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
  • 5. Department of Medical Science, Surgical Science and advanced Technologies "G.F, Ingrassia", University of Catania Catania, Italy.
  • 6. Traslational Medicine Department, Eastern Piedmont University (UPO), Novara, Italy.

Description

Tobacco smoking impairs mucociliary clearance (MCC) efficiency as shown by prolonged saccharin test transit time (STTT). Avoiding exposure to tobacco smoke from combustible cigarettes may restore MCC function and former smokers have been shown to exhibit similar STTT as never smokers. The impact of switching from smoking to combustion-free tobacco products such as e-cigarettes (ECs) and heated tobacco products (HTPs) on STTT is not known. We report STTT of exclusive EC and HTP users. Test results were compared to those obtained in current, former, and never smokers. STTT were obtained from 39 current, 40 former, 40 never smokers and from 20 EC and 20 HTP users. Comparison of STTT values showed significant difference among the five study groups (p< 0.00001) with current smokers having a median (IQR) STTT of 13.15 min, which was significantly longer compared to that of all other study groups. In particular, compared to former (7.26 min) and never smokers (7.24 min), exclusive EC users and exclusive HTP users had similar STTT at 7.00 and 8.00 min respectively. Ex-smokers who have switched to exclusive regular use of combustion-free nicotine delivery systems (i.e. ECs and HTPs) exhibit similar saccharin transit time as never and former smokers. This suggests that combustion-free nicotine delivery technologies are unlikely to have detrimental effects on MCC function.

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2020.10.21.20216630v1.full.pdf

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