Assessing the impact of e-cigarettes on human barrier systems: A systematic review.

The use of e-cigarettes has grown rapidly in recent years, raising concerns about their impact on human health, particularly on critical physiological barriers such as the blood-brain barrier (BBB), alveolar-capillary barrier, and vascular systems. This systematic review evaluates the current literature on the effects of e-cigarette exposure on these barrier systems. E-cigarettes, regardless of nicotine content, have been shown to induce oxidative stress, inflammation, and disruption of tight junction proteins, leading to impaired barrier function.