Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Dec;17(12):1727-1736.
doi: 10.1080/17425247.2020.1814736. Epub 2020 Sep 17.

Nicotine forms: why and how do they matter in nicotine delivery from electronic cigarettes?

Vinit V Gholap  1 , Leon Kosmider  2 , Laleh Golshahi  3 , Matthew S Halquist  1
Affiliations
Review

Nicotine forms: why and how do they matter in nicotine delivery from electronic cigarettes?

Vinit V Gholap et al. Expert Opin Drug Deliv. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Introduction: Unregulated e-cigarette devices and their nicotine content have amplified the potential of e-cigarettes as addictive agents. Several e-cigarette-related parameters have been identified altering nicotine's absorption profile, so their potential effects on addiction should be considered. Of these factors, nicotine forms (protonated and free base) play a significant role in the addiction potential yet their impact on nicotine's absorption has been studied with limited research.

Areas covered: Current review aims to emphasize on the possible mechanism behind different absorption profiles of nicotine forms considering their physical states (droplet and vapor phase) and the aerosol particle size, their analysis in e-cigarette research and the regulatory attention warranted by them to combat nicotine addiction in the population due to e-cigarettes.

Expert opinion: The protonated form of nicotine is being correlated with the smooth sensory effects and high nicotine absorption as compared to free base nicotine. With the introduction of nicotine salts, which yield mostly the protonated form, the youth popularity of e-cigarettes has spiked exponentially. While it is important to control nicotine levels in e-cigarette products, attention should also be given to the nicotine forms present in these products in order to address nicotine addiction in the population.

Keywords: Electronic cigarettes; addiction; aerosol; battery power; e-liquids; free base nicotine; nicotine delivery; nicotine salt.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interest

M Halquist is funded by NIDA (2P30DA033934-06) and received a small grant from the Virginia Youth Tobacco Projects Small Grants Program. L Golshahi received a pilot study grant from the Center for the Study of Tobacco Products under the main grant: U54DA036105. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Different forms of nicotine based on the pH of a solvent (water).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. The National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine. Public health consequences of E-cigarettes. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2018. Available from: https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24952/public-health-consequences-of-e-cigare... - PubMed
    1. Zhu SH, Sun JY, Bonnevie E, et al. Four hundred and sixty brands of e-cigarettes and counting: implications for product regulation. Tob Control. 2014;23:iii3–iii9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Food and Drug Adminstration. Premarket tobacco product applications for electronic nicotine delivery systems guidance for industry [Internet]; [cited 2020 Jun 6]. Available from: https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents...

    1. Gholap V, Halquist MS. Historical perspective of proactive and reactive regulations of E-cigarettes to combat nicotine addiction. J Addict Med. 2020;00:1.

      • Timeline of e-cigarette epidemic and FDA’s limited regulatory response.

    1. Williams M, Talbot P. Design features in multiple generations of electronic cigarette atomizers. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16:2904. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types