Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 26, 2026
Comparing the Effects of Electronic Cigarette Vapor and Cigarette Smoke in a Novel In Vivo Exposure System
Published on: May 24, 2017
Impact of e-liquid flavors on nicotine intake and pharmacology of e-cigarettes
Gideon St Helen1, Delia A Dempsey2, Christopher M Havel2
1Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (TCORS), University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Objectives:
To describe the effect of e-liquid flavors on nicotine intake and pharmacology of e-cigarettes.
Methods:
11 males and 3 females participated in a 3-day inpatient crossover study with strawberry, tobacco, and their usual flavor e-liquid. Nicotine levels were nominally 18mg/mL in the strawberry (pH 8.29) and tobacco (pH 9.10) e-liquids and ranged between 3-18mg/mL in the usual brands (mean pH 6.80). Each day consisted of a 15-puff session followed by 4h of abstinence, then 90min of ad libitum use. Subjects used a KangerTech mini ProTank 3.
Results:
After 15 puffs, the amount of nicotine inhaled and systemically retained were not significantly different between the strawberry and tobacco e-liquids but plasma AUC(0→180) was significantly higher with the strawberry e-liquid. While not significantly different, Cmax was 22% higher and various early time point AUCs to measure rate of rise of nicotine in blood ranged between 17 and 23% higher with the strawberry e-liquid compared to the tobacco e-liquid. During ad libitum use, systemic exposure to nicotine (AUC(0→90)) was the same for the tobacco and usual brand e-liquids but were both significantly lower than after using the strawberry e-liquid. The usual flavors were more liked and satisfying than the strawberry and tobacco e-liquids.
Conclusion:
Flavors influence nicotine exposure through flavor liking, may affect rate of nicotine absorption possibly through pH effects, and contribute to heart rate acceleration and subjective effects of e-cigarettes. E-cigarette users titrate their nicotine exposure but the extent of titration may vary across flavors.
More Related Videos
08:39Generation of Electronic Cigarette Aerosol by a Third-Generation Machine-Vaping Device: Application to Toxicological Studies
Published on: August 25, 2018
09:30A Microcontroller Operated Device for the Generation of Liquid Extracts from Conventional Cigarette Smoke and Electronic Cigarette Aerosol
Published on: January 18, 2018
Related Concept Videos
01:29Stimulants
Cocaine can be administered via snorting, injection, or smoking. It primarily functions by blocking the reuptake of dopamine, resulting in a euphoric high characterized by an intense sensation of happiness and...
01:23Drugs Acting on Autonomic Ganglia: Stimulants
Ganglionic stimulants activate NM nicotinic receptors in autonomic ganglia, falling into two categories: nicotine mimetics [e.g., lobeline, dimethylpiperazine, tetramethylammonium] and muscarinic receptor agonists [e.g., muscarine, methacholine]. The first category's action is rapid and blocked by nicotinic receptor antagonists, while the second category's action is delayed and blocked by atropine-like agents. Nicotine, an alkaloid, affects the heart rate by stimulating...
01:27CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
01:17Drug Dependence
01:27Effects of Chemicals: Overview
01:23Pharmacokinetic–Pharmacodynamic Relationship: Intensity of Dose-Effect Relationship