Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 7, 2025
Using Nicotine in a Silica-Exposed Mouse Model to Promote Lung Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Published on: March 3, 2023
Nicotine Exposure Via Electronic Cigarettes Significantly Impedes Biomechanical Healing Properties of Tendon Healing
Patrick Kennedy1, Kaitlin Saloky2, Aditya Yadavalli3
1Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Penn State College of Medicine, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania, U.S.A..
Purpose:
To evaluate the biomechanical and histologic effects on Achilles tendon repair of inhaled combusted tobacco versus nicotine exposure via electronic cigarette versus a control group in a small-animal model (Sprague-Dawley rat).
Methods:
Fifty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into 3 groups: combusted tobacco, e-cigarettes, or control. Experimental rats were exposed to research cigarettes or e-cigarette vapor in a smoking chamber for 4 weeks. Surgical transection and repair of the Achilles tendon were then completed, followed by 2 additional weeks of exposure. Achilles tendons were harvested, and biomechanical tensile testing was performed. Histologic evaluation was completed, including hematoxylin-eosin staining, trichrome staining, and immunohistochemistry analysis for type I and type III collagen.
Results:
The control group showed the highest mean tensile load to failure, at 41.0 ± 10.4 N (range, 18.3-55.1 N); the cigarette cohort had the second highest mean, at 37.3 ± 11.1 N (range, 14.0-54.7 N); and finally, the vaping group had the lowest mean, at 32.3 ± 8.4 N (range, 17.8-45.1 N). One-way analysis of variance showed a significant difference in load to failure when comparing the control group with the e-cigarette group (P = .026). No statistical difference was detected between the control group and cigarette group (P = .35) or between the e-cigarette group and cigarette group (P = .23). Stiffness and qualitative histologic analysis showed no difference among groups.
Conclusions:
This investigation shows that in a rat model, nicotine exposure via e-cigarette significantly impedes the biomechanical healing properties of Achilles tendon surgical repair.
Clinical Relevance:
The results indicate that although e-cigarettes are often used as a perceived "safer" alternative to smoking, their use may have a detrimental effect on tendon load to failure.
More Related Videos
10:44Comparing the Effects of Electronic Cigarette Vapor and Cigarette Smoke in a Novel In Vivo Exposure System
Published on: May 24, 2017
08:39Generation of Electronic Cigarette Aerosol by a Third-Generation Machine-Vaping Device: Application to Toxicological Studies
Published on: August 25, 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...