Vitamin E Acetate Causes Softening of Pulmonary Surfactant Membrane Models

Published

February 19, 2025

Author(s)

Mitchell DiPasquale, Maksymilian Dziura, Omotayo Gbadamosi, Stuart R. Castillo, Ambreen Fahim, Justin Roberto, Jeffrey Atkinson, Natalie Boccalon, Mario Campana, Sai Pingali, P. C. Chandrasekera, Piotr Zolnierczuk, Michihiro Nagao, Elizabeth Kelley, Drew Marquardt

Abstract

The popularity of electronic cigarettes and vaping products has launched the outbreak of a condition affecting the respiratory system of users, known as electronic-cigarette/vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI). The build-up of vitamin E acetate (VEA), a diluent of some illicit vaping oils, in the bronchoalveolar lavage of patients with EVALI provided circumstantial evidence as a target for investigation. In this work, we provide a fundamental characterization of the interaction of VEA with lung cells and pulmonary surfactant (PS) models to explore the mechanisms by which vaping-related lung injuries may be present. We first confirm the localization and uptake of VEA in pulmonary epithelial cells. Further, as PS is vitally responsible for the biophysical functions of the lungs, we explore the effect of added VEA on three increasingly complex models of PS: dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), a lipid-only synthetic PS, and the biologically derived extract Curosurf. Using high-resolution techniques of small-angle X-ray scattering, small-angle neutron scattering, neutron spin−echo spectroscopy, and neutron reflectometry, we compare the molecular-scale behaviors of these membranes to the bulk viscoelastic properties of surfactant monolayer films as studied by Langmuir monolayer techniques. While VEA does not obviously alter the structure or organization of PS membranes, a consistent softening of membrane systems-regardless of compositional complexity-provides a biophysical explanation for the respiratory distress associated with EVALI and yields a new perspective on the behavior of the PS system.

Citation

Chemical Research in Toxicology

Volume

38

Issue

3

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrestox.4c00425

Local Download

Keywords

pulmonary surfactant, lipid monolayer, vitamin E acetate, small angle neutron scattering (SANS), neutron spin echo spectroscopy (NSE)

Citation

DiPasquale, M. , Dziura, M. , Gbadamosi, O. , Castillo, S. , Fahim, A. , Roberto, J. , Atkinson, J. , Boccalon, N. , Campana, M. , Pingali, S. , Chandrasekera, P. , Zolnierczuk, P. , Nagao, M. , Kelley, E. and Marquardt, D. (2025), Vitamin E Acetate Causes Softening of Pulmonary Surfactant Membrane Models, Chemical Research in Toxicology, [online], https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrestox.4c00425, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=958652 (Accessed July 12, 2025)