New Nicotine Study Reveals Heart Risks from Vaping

New research from the Huntington Medical Research Institutes (HMRI) in Pasadena has uncovered a previously under-recognized danger of nicotine, suggesting it may quietly damage the heart at a cellular level, not just the lungs. The study, particularly relevant as youth vaping often sees a surge during summer months, details how nicotine triggers harmful changes within heart cells and identifies potential avenues for treatment.

Nicotine Activates Stress Pathway in Heart Cells

The findings, published in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, were led by Dr. Khaja Shameem Mohammed Abdul, a postdoctoral research scholar in HMRI’s Cardiovascular Signaling Laboratory. The research demonstrates that nicotine activates a specific stress pathway in heart cells. This activation causes a significant increase in a protein called PHLPP1.

The surge in PHLPP1 subsequently heightens oxidative stress within the heart cells. Oxidative stress is a toxic process known to impair cellular energy production, directly damage heart cells, and can ultimately lead to cell death. “While many people associate vaping with lung damage or addiction,” Dr. Mohammed Abdul stated, “our research shows that nicotine also stresses the heart at a cellular level. These effects may be especially serious for teens and young adults, whose bodies are still developing.”

Potential for Future Therapies Identified

Working under Principal Investigator Dr. Nicole Purcell, the research team also pinpointed the cellular trigger for the PHLPP1 spike: a signaling axis known as ERK–4E-BP1. When nicotine activates this pathway, PHLPP1 levels rise. Crucially, the study found that when this ERK–4E-BP1 pathway was blocked in laboratory models, heart cells were protected from nicotine’s damaging effects.

This discovery is promising, as it may pave the way for future therapies designed to mitigate or prevent nicotine-induced heart damage. “This study gives us a clearer picture of how nicotine harms the heart,” Dr. Mohammed Abdul added. “More importantly, it points to ways we might stop that damage from happening in the first place.” The research underscores the cardiovascular risks associated with nicotine, found in both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes.