Poster abstracts
Poster number 52 submitted by Zianne Olverson
Vaping during pregnancy: risks to maternal heart adaptation, the placenta, and offspring health outcomes
Zianne A. Olverson (Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Graduate Program), Roy A. Miller (Dorthy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute), Matthew W. Gorr (College of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiac Surgery)
Abstract:
Electronic cigarette (e-cig) use during pregnancy is reported by up to 15% of pregnant women (1). Although often perceived as a safer alternative than traditional cigarette smoking (2), little is known about the maternal and fetal health effects of vaping during pregnancy. E-cigarette aerosols contain nicotine and harmful byproducts such as formaldehyde and acrolein (3), yet their biological effects during pregnancy, on maternal cardiovascular adaptation, placental development, and offspring health remain poorly understood. Our laboratory previously demonstrated that e-cigarette exposure during pregnancy decreases uterine artery blood flow and maternal heart relaxation, suggesting impaired uteroplacental perfusion and reduced oxygen and nutrient delivery to the developing fetus (4).
Using a mouse model of gestational e-cig exposure, we investigated how impaired uteroplacental perfusion influences placental development and offspring health. Pregnant FVB/J mice were exposed to filtered air (FA), e-cig vehicle aerosol without nicotine (50:50 propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin; PV), or e-cig vehicle aerosol with 2% nicotine (PV + Nic) from embryonic day (E)0.5-E17.5.
Echocardiography at E16.5 revealed impaired maternal cardiac relaxation, indicated by reduced diastolic function (E/A and E/e ratios), in both e-cig exposure groups compared with FA controls. Fetal heart rates were also reduced in exposed pregnancies. Caesarean collection of fetal and placental tissues at E17.5 revealed reduced fetal weights in PV-exposed embryos compared with FA controls. In contrast, placental weights were increased in the PV + Nic group, while placental weight: fetal weight ratios, an indicator of placental insufficiency, were decreased in both exposure groups.
Together, these findings suggest that vaping during pregnancy disrupts maternal cardiovascular adaptation and uteroplacental perfusion, altering placental development and early fetal cardiovascular physiology with potential consequences for offspring health later in life.
References:
(1) Campbell, Katarzyna, et al. Factors Influencing the Uptake and Use of Nicotine Replacement Therapy and Ecigarettes in Pregnant Women Who Smoke: A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis -Campbell, K 2020
(2) Martnez-Snchez, J. M., Fu, M., Martn-Snchez, J. C., Ballb, M., Salt, E., & Fernndez, E. (2015). Perception of electronic cigarettes in the general population: Does their usefulness outweigh their risks?
(3) Ogunwale MA, Li M, Ramakrishnam Raju MV, Chen Y, Nantz MH, Conklin DJ, Fu XA. Aldehyde Detection in Electronic Cigarette Aerosols. ACS Omega. 2017 Mar 31;2(3):1207-1214. Epub 2017 Mar 29.
(4) Olverson ZA, Saldaa SJ, Miller RA, Gorr MW. E-cigarette exposure during pregnancy impairs uterine artery blood flow and feto-placental function. Toxicol Sci. 2026 Jan 30;209(1):kfaf161. PMID: 41247316.
Keywords: Pregnancy, E-cigarette, Placenta