Lung In Vitro event

Cannabis use has been increasing with widespread legalization. Despite this, there are still many unknowns about how cannabis affects our health. Emily’s work seeks to shed light on the impacts of inhaled cannabis products on our lungs so that consumers and policymakers can make informed decisions. While smoking cannabis is known to release harmful combustion products, vaporizing cannabis heats the plant without burning it, potentially reducing these harmful byproducts. The epithelial cells of the lungs are the first to encounter the compounds we inhale. Therefore, Emily assessed the impact of cannabis vapor on the transcriptional response of A549 type 2 alveolar epithelial cells (AEC2) using three different models: submerged, pseudo-air-liquid interface (ALI), and ALI conditions coupled with the expoCube^TM advanced exposure system. She found that culturing cells at ALI made the cell line display more characteristics of AEC2 cells found in our lungs, such as surfactant production, ion movement, and barrier integrity. Culturing cells in submerged conditions versus ALI had significant impacts on the transcriptomic profile of the cells at baseline as well as their response to stimuli. Lastly, no matter the model, Emily’s work determined that cannabis vapor caused an induction of pathways related to cell growth, cancer, and oxidative stress, indicating that cannabis vapor is not inert and that future studies should work to better understand the carcinogenic potential of these devices.