Beersheba Researchers: Devastating Effects of Tobacco on Smokers Are Magnified During Pandemics

Wasting famine, ravaging plague, deadly pestilence and fanged beasts Will I let loose against them, with venomous creepers in dust.

Deuteronomy

32:

24

(the israel bible)

March 3, 2021

3 min read

Tobacco smoke – either from your mouth or by second-hand exposure from others smoking nearby – not only causes lung cancer and other tumors and respiratory diseases, heart disease, stroke, metabolic diseases, and many other disorders. Researchers at Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev in Beersheba have found that cigarette smoke can interfere with communication among bacterial cells. With the COVID-10 pandemic still threatening lives around the world, any respiratory interference means a heightened risk of disease and death. 

 

Prof. Robert Marks, head of BGU’s department of biotechnology engineering, and colleagues have just published a new study on this subject in the journal Talanta, the International Journal of Pure and Applied Analytical Chemistry under the title Cigarette smoke toxicity modes of action estimated by a bioluminescent bioreporter bacterial panel.” 

For the first time, they studied the biological effect of cigarette smoke – with filters and without them – using a bacterial model called a “bacterial panel” to measure the mechanisms of biological toxicity. They discovered that cigarette smoke influencing communication among bacteria can affect the population of microorganisms in the body. 

The impact on communication among bacteria has very serious consequences, such as in the formation of a condition called “biofilm,” which protects bacterial colonies in the lungs. This finding, the researchers said, is especially relevant during the current pandemic. 

While filters do reduce the interference with communication, the use of cigarette filters did not prevent significant disruption from the smoke that was inhaled. 

In addition, they found that the type of filter affected the level of harm – more expensive filters did a better job at minimizing toxicity. “The more expensive the filtered cigarette, the lower the levels of observed toxicity, said Marks. The experiment proved that the filter is a crucial element in reducing the harm of smoking. While quitting smoking is the best answer, those who continue to light up despite the significant dangers to their health need better filters to reduce toxicity, the researchers stated. 

Their research may also help understand the effect of tobacco smoking on various medical conditions, explaining why cigarette smokers are at higher risk for lung infections.

The study was led by Marks’s doctoral student Tim Axelrod and student Merav Lerman at BGU; Dr. Dorin Harpaz from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; and Dr. Evgeni Eltzov from the Volcani Center (Agricultural Research Center) at Beit Dagan near Tel Aviv. 

Marks’ lab is one of the leaders in the use of panels of genetically engineered bacteria to find the specific mechanisms of toxins in a variety of materials and their impact on the environment. Cigarette smoke is a complex mixture of about 5,000 different compounds which have combined synergistic and antagonistic effects. It is a risk factor for several serious chronic diseases, including premature death. However, little has been known from a research point of view about the toxicity of its components in the human body. 

The study examined 12 distinct types of commercial cigarettes of varying prices bought at stores in Israel. At the same time, a bacteria panel was produced made up of four different strains of genetically engineered bacteria from E. coli, which produces light after exposure to various toxins (including those toxic to cells, damage to the genes that causes mutations, and oxidation). The light response showed the mechanism of biological toxicity of the filtered and unfiltered cigarette smoke.

Based on the BGU findings, tobacco companies, research organizations, and academics can use the bacterial panel and its accompanying system to cost-effectively monitor the overall toxicity of various commercial cigarettes and test their filter effectiveness, “The newly developed smoke-testing system based on our bacterial panel is a great way for those needing to analyze the toxicity of smoke at a reasonable cost,” Marks concluded. 

“The bacterial panel demonstrated a toxicity link between artificial sweeteners and sports supplements containing them, in a study we published three years ago in the journal Molecules,” added Harpaz. 

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