The 5th Scientific Summit on Tobacco Harm Reduction: Novel products, Research & Policy, is organised by SCOHRE, the International Association on Smoking Control & Harm Reduction, and will be held on September 21 and 22, 2022 in Atene, Greece.
The objective of the Summit is to offer opportunities for scientists of different countries to: present, discuss, and challenge recent data related to the benefits and the risks associated with alternative tobacco product use among smokers and the association with switch and quit attempts; discuss and debate on scientific, technological, medical, regulatory, legal and policy issues for advancing the technical capacity of the participating countries; and provide an environment where regulatory authorities and policy makers may present to the scientific and medical communities their prospective course of action.
Scientific Summit is a hybrid event: with physical presence in Athens, Greece, at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, and virtual attendance. A long agenda is scheduled for the two-day event on THR.
Abstract: “Cigarette smoking is associated with impairment of repair mechanisms essential for vascular endothelium homeostasis. Reducing the exposure to smoke toxicants may result in the mitigation of the harmful effect on the endothelium and cardiovascular disease development. Previous investigations performed by the tobacco industries evaluated in vitro the effect of electronic cigarette (e-cig) compared to cigarette smoke demonstrating a significant reduction in endothelial cell migration inhibition following e-cig aerosol exposure. In the present study, we replicated one of these studies, evaluating the effects of cigarette smoke on endothelial cell migration compared to an e-cig, adding to the comparison two heated tobacco products (THPs). We performed an in vitro scratch wound assay on endothelial cells with a multi-center approach (ring-study) to verify the robustness and reliability of the results obtained in the replicated study. Consistently with the original study, we observed a substantial reduction of the effects of e-cig on endothelial cell migration compared to cigarette smoke. This reduction was observed with the exposure of endothelial cells to the extracts from THPs. Cigarette smoking reduced endothelial wound healing capability already at low concentrations (12.5%) and in a concentration-dependent manner, e-cig and HTPs aerosol showed no effect on endothelial cells until 80% -100% concentration. In conclusion, our study further confirms the importance of e-cig and THPs as a possible harm reduction strategy for cardiovascular diseases development in smokers“.