Over the past decade, the popularity of e-cigarettes has surged steeply. Instead of burning tobacco, these devices supply nicotine through an inhaled aerosol, a trait that has led many people to view them as an apparently safer substitute for ordinary cigarettes. Even so, published work cautions that, despite a lower toxin load than conventional cigarettes, e-cigarettes can still harm health. The aim here was to judge how e-cigarette exposure might harm the heart and testis of mature albino male rats, assessed through a hormonal panel (FSH, LH, Testosterone), the oxidative-stress marker MDA, troponin measurement and histopathology. Thirty adult albino male rats were enrolled and split at random into 3 matched sets of 10 animals each; the first (group I) acted as control, the second (Group II, low-dose arm) inhaled 1 ml of Eliquid smoke vapor carrying 6mg nicotine, and the third (Group III, high-dose arm) inhaled 1ml of E-liquid smoke vapor carrying 18mg nicotine. The protocol received clearance from Benha University's Faculty of Medicine (Research Ethics Committee). Results: a stepwise fall in FSH, LH, Testosterone appeared as exposure rose from control through the low dose and then to the high dose. By contrast, MDA, which flags oxidative stress, climbed sharply in testicular and cardiac tissue of both treated groups versus controls. Likewise, cardiac troponin I climbed significantly across both treated arms relative to the control. Consistent histopathological alterations in both organs. Conclusion: e-cigarettes lead to oxidative stress together with disturbance of the hormonal panel and troponin, alongside histopathological change. |
