摘要：SummaryThe trend of e-cigarette use among teens is ever increasing. Here we show the dysbiotic oral microbial ecology in e-cigarette users influencing the local host immune environment compared with non-smoker controls and cigarette smokers. Using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing, we evaluated 119 human participants, 40 in each of the three cohorts, and found significantly altered beta-diversity in e-cigarette users (p = 0.006) when compared with never smokers or tobacco cigarette smokers. The abundance ofPorphyromonasandVeillonella(p = 0.008) was higher among vapers. Interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β were highly elevated in e-cigarette users when compared with non-users. Epithelial cell-exposed e-cigarette aerosols were more susceptible for infection.In vitroinfection model of premalignant Leuk-1 and malignant cell lines exposed to e-cigarette aerosol and challenged byPorphyromonas gingivalisandFusobacterium nucleatumresulted in elevated inflammatory response. Our findings for the first time demonstrate that e-cigarette users are more prone to infection.Graphical AbstractDisplay OmittedHighlights•E- cigarette vapors contain high nicotine concentration and other toxic compounds•E-cigarette modulates oral microbiome and increases the abundance of oral pathobionts•E-cigarette aerosol alters host response and promotes gum inflammation•E-cigarette aerosol exposure makes epithelial cells susceptible to infectionIn Vitro Toxicology; Microbiome; Oral Microbiology
