Evaluation of E-Cigarette Effects on Gene Expression Profile of Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells: A System Biology Approach



Ahmadi N ; Azodi MZ ; Nejad MR ; Rezaei M ; Robati R ; Bandarian F ; Razi F ; Razzaghi Z ; Arjmand B ; Rezaeitavirani M
Source: Tanaffos Published:2025

Abstract

Background: Electronic cigarettes produce aerosols that contain flavoring agents and nicotine, a drug that can lead to dependence, which users inhale. The widespread use of e-cigarettes has prompted research projects to investigate the safety or risks of e-cigarette smoke on human health. The present study aims to discover details of the e-cigarette smoke effect on the gene expression profile of human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) via network analysis. Materials and Methods: Data of GSE118431(GPL16791) from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were extracted and pre-evaluated by GEO2R program. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed via protein-protein interaction PPI analysis, and the critical DEGs were introduced. Results: A total of 192 significant DEGs among the 17058 targeted genes were selected for PPI network analysis. The 177 recognized genes were interacted to construct a network. Six DEGs were common between the hubs and bottlenecks of the network. Conclusion: E-cigarettes target IL1B, PTGS2, SOD2, NFKBIA, TXNRD1, and DUSP1, the critical genes that are associated with progression of inflammation, cell proliferation and cell invasion in cancer, chromatin condensation, DNA fragmentation, and cell death. © 2025 NRITLD, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Iran.