E-cigarettes induce toxicity comparable to tobacco cigarettes in airway epithelium from patients with COPD.

Background: The health effects of e-cigarettes in patients with pre-existing lung disease are unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate whether aerosols from a fourth-generation e-cigarette produces similar in-vitro cytotoxic, DNA damage and inflammatory effects on bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) from patients with COPD, as cigarette smoke.

Methods: BECs from patients with COPD who underwent surgery for lung cancer and comparator (immortalised 16HBE) cells were grown at air liquid interface (ALI).