Language

English

Publication Date

9-26-2025

Journal

Cell & Bioscience

DOI

10.1186/s13578-025-01473-z

PMID

41013783

PMCID

PMC12465302

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

9-26-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

Background: Nicotine is known to influence metabolism and body weight, yet existing murine models of nicotine exposure often fail to replicate human smoking behaviors accurately. To address this gap, we designed a cost-effective, self-administered nicotine inhalation system that allows mice to voluntarily inhale nicotine vapor generated from e-liquid.

Results: Using this system, we investigated the metabolic effects of nicotine exposure in adult and adolescent mice. Adult mice exposed to nicotine vapor for 10 days exhibited significant weight loss, which was rapidly regained upon cessation, paralleling human smoking patterns. In contrast, adolescent mice did not lose weight during nicotine exposure but experienced increased fat mass accumulation after cessation. These results highlight critical age-dependent differences in nicotine's metabolic effects and challenge the common perception that nicotine aids in weight control among adolescents.

Conclusions: Our novel e-liquid-based inhalation model provides a valuable tool for studying nicotine's physiological and behavioral effects, with implications for understanding smoking-related health risks and addiction mechanisms.

Keywords

Self-inhaled nicotine, Age-dependent metabolic effects

Published Open-Access

yes

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