Evaluation of e-liquid toxicity using an open-source high-throughput screening assay
Fig 4
Orthogonal assays to validate human airway cell types.
(A–C) Representative dose–response curves assayed in HEK293T. (A) hASMC; (B) hA549; (C) PBS (negative control), PG/VG (positive control); Blueberry Tobacco, Popcorn, Key Lime Pie, and Banana Pudding show left-shifted but similar toxicity trends. All n = 3. (D) Heat map showing all e-liquid flavors tested in the 3 cell lines above. E-liquids have been clustered by LC50 values. Raw data are available in S4 Data. hA549, human adenocarcinomic alveolar basal epithelial cells; hASMC, human airway smooth muscle cell; HEK293T, human embryonic kidney 293 cells; LC50, concentration at which a given agent is lethal to 50% of the cells; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline; PG, propylene glycol; VG, vegetable glycerin.