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Seasoning and supplement ingredients in e-cigarettes may rise inflammation and damage lung function, according to a study.

The research, published in the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, as well found that short-term vulnerability to e-cigarettes was adequate to cause lung inflammation similar or worse than that seen in handed-down cigarette use.

E-cigarettes, popular battery-powered devices that imitate the act of smoking a traditional cigarette, dispense a vapor derived from liquid chemicals in a refillable cartridge.

The refills in most cases contain propylene glycol, nicotine and often flavorings, said researchers from the University of Athens Medical School in Greece.

Propylene glycol - an odorless, colorless, food additive - is found in numerous processed food and liquid refreshments; it is likewise utilized as a solvent in a number pharmaceutical.

E-cigarette devices and refills are not well regulated, and the long-term health effects of e-cigarette use are not widely known.

Several groups of mice were studied by researchers that received whole-body exposure to varying chemical combinations four times daily. Each exposure session was separated by 30-minute smoke-free intervals.

The e-cigarette and cigarette groups were compared with a control group that was open to medical-grade air.

Some of the animals in each group were exposed to short-term cigarette smoke or e-cigarette vapor (three days), while else were exposed for a longer term (four weeks).

The team found a growth in markers of mucus production inflammation and changed lung function in the propylene + nicotine, propylene, and flavoring groups after three days.

However, the propylene group showed fewer negative effects with long-term exposure, suggesting the additive alone elicits only a temporary irritation that eventually subsides with continued use.

Additionally, two inflammation-producing proteins became elevated solely in the flavoring group, proposing that some of the many flavoring components on the market may not be harmless for even short-term use.

When the condition of the e-cigarette groups compared to the cigarette group, the level of oxidative stress - stress at a cellular level - in the flavoring group was equivalent to or higher than that of the cigarette group.

However, respiratory mechanics were adversely affected solely in mice exposed to cigarette smoke and not to e-cigarette vapor after drawn-out treatment.

"The observed detrimental effects in the lung upon (e-cigarette) vapor exposure in animal models highlight the need for further investigation of safety and toxicity of these rapidly expanding devices worldwide," the researchers said.

-Sowmya Sangam