Abstract
Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) vapor comes in contact with the different constituents of the oral cavity, including such microorganisms as
. We examined the impact of e-cigarettes on
growth and expression of different virulent genes, such as secreted aspartic proteases (
), and the effect of e-cigarette vapor-exposed
on gingival epithelial cell morphology, growth, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity. An increase in
growth was observed with nicotine-rich e-cigarettes compared with non-exposed cultures. Following exposure to e-cigarette vapor,
produced high levels of chitin. E-cigarettes also increased
hyphal length and the expression of
,
, and
genes. When in contact with gingival epithelial cells, e-cigarette-exposed
adhered better to epithelial cells than the control. Indirect contact between e-cigarette-exposed
and gingival epithelial cells led to epithelial cell differentiation, reduced cell growth, and increased LDH activity. Overall, results indicate that e-cigarettes may interact with
to promote their pathogenesis, which may increase the risk of oral candidiasis in e-cigarette users.