The Effects of Cigarette Filter Ventilation on Delivery and Retention of Organic Acids

Summary A method for simultaneous identification and quantitative determination of 30 organic acids was established. The smoke yields and filter retentions of organic acids and routine smoke components, total particulate matter (TPM), nicotine-free dry particulate matter (NFDPM), nicotine and carbon monoxide (CO) at different filter ventilation levels were determined under both International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Health Canadian Intense (HCI) smoking regimes. As a result of smoke dilution during filter ventilation, the yields of all organic acids were reduced in mainstream cigarette smoke. The spatial distribution pattern of the concentration of each organic acid in the filter was investigated at different ventilation levels and their filter retention determined. On one hand, the concentration of organic acids with a lower boiling point (BP) and lower molecular weight (MW) was relatively higher at the smoking end and the periphery part of the filter and spatial concentration distributions within the filter were significantly affected by smoke diffusion. On the other hand, those acids with high BPs and high MW were mainly distributed at the tobacco rod end and central part of the filter and spatial concentration distributions were only slightly influenced by their smoke diffusion within the filter whilst air compression around the filter vents also led to less change. This way, different acids in mainstream cigarette smoke were reduced to different extents which can also influence the acid-base equilibrium and sensory quality of the smoke. Compared with ISO smoking regime, the vent blocking and more intense smoking HCI regime led to different extents of yield increase for each of the studied acids. The effect of filter ventilation in the HCI smoking regime was not investigated, as the HCI smoking regime requires blocked ventilation holes. [Contrib. Tob. Nicotine Res. 30 (2021) 199–211]

Preconceptional smoking alters spermatozoal miRNAs of murine fathers and affects offspring’s body weight

Background Active smoking has been reported among 7% of teenagers worldwide, with ages ranging from 13 to 15 years. An epidemiological study suggested that preconceptional paternal smoking is associated with adolescent obesity in boys. We developed a murine adolescent smoking model before conception to investigate the paternal molecular causes of changes in offspring’s phenotype. Method Male and female C57BL/6J mice were exposed to increasing doses of mainstream cigarette smoke (CS) from onset of puberty for 6 weeks and mated with room air (RA) controls. Results Thirteen miRNAs were upregulated and 32 downregulated in the spermatozoa of CS-exposed fathers, while there were no significant differences in the count and morphological integrity of spermatozoa, as well as the proliferation of spermatogonia between CS- and RA-exposed fathers. Offspring from preconceptional CS-exposed mothers had lower body weights (p = 0.007). Moreover, data from offspring from CS-exposed fathers suggested a potential increase in body weight (p = 0.062). Conclusion We showed that preconceptional paternal CS exposure regulates spermatozoal miRNAs, and possibly influences the body weight of F1 progeny in early life. The regulated miRNAs may modulate transmittable epigenetic changes to offspring, thus influence the development of respiratory- and metabolic-related diseases such as obesity, a mechanism that warrants further studies for elaborate explanations.