Both are worse
Changes in chemical labels in the vaper genome are associated with the development of cancer
Polina Gershberg, Naked Science
Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California have found that those who practice smoking electronic cigarettes experience epigenetic changes similar to those observed in the body of fans of classic cigarettes. An article about this was published in the journal Epigenetics (Caliri et al., Hypomethylation of LINE-1 repeat elements and global loss of DNA hydroxymethylation in vapers and smokers).
Epigenetic changes do not affect the primary structure of the genetic code, but affect the expression of genes and the phenotype of the organism. These changes imply the appearance or disappearance of molecular labels: for example, DNA methylation or deacetylation of histones (proteins on which a strand of nucleic acid is wound). Among other things, epigenetic mutations can provoke the occurrence of certain types of cancer.
In a new study, scientists looked at epigenome changes in vapers. To do this, they studied three groups of subjects: those who smoked only electronic cigarettes, those who vaped and smoked regular cigarettes, and people without bad habits. Blood samples were taken from all participants of the study to analyze the level of two types of epigenetic DNA tags: methyl groups in LINE-1 genetic sequences and hydroxymethyl radicals throughout the genome as a whole.
Of the 45 people who took part in the experiments, those who "dabbled" in cigarettes (both electronic and conventional) had a significant decrease in the levels of both chemical labels compared to the control group. "This does not mean that such people will develop cancer," says one of the authors of the work, Ahmad Bessaratinia. –But we see that changes in the chemical labels found in the tumors of cancer patients are also found in people who vape or smoke – presumably due to exposure to cancer-causing chemical carcinogens present in cigarette smoke and – at lower levels – in a pair of electronic cigarettes."
A year earlier, Bessaratinia and colleagues conducted another study related to changes in the expression of smokers' genes. Then the study of the epithelial cells of the oral cavity showed that those who smoke cigarettes and vapes have an abnormally high level of expression of some genes associated with cancer. "Our new study adds an important element to this puzzle by demonstrating that epigenetic mechanisms, in particular changes in chemical labels, <...> can contribute to abnormal gene expression in both vapers and smokers," he says.
The next step of scientists will be a full-scale study of the genome and identification of all genes that affect the epigenetic mutations studied in the last work. "Given the established role that many genes play in human diseases, this work should provide invaluable information that can influence public health policy," concludes Bessaratinia.
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