How E-Cigarette Exposure May Reshape Fetal Lung Immunity

PRENATAL e-cigarette exposure may disrupt fetal lung immunity and increase newborn susceptibility to respiratory viral infections.

A newly funded five-year study will investigate how e-cigarette components and flavors used during pregnancy affect fetal respiratory immune development. The $2.4 million project will also examine whether exposure increases offspring susceptibility to viral infection after birth.

The research addresses an important knowledge gap surrounding e-cigarette exposure in pregnancy. Although these products may be perceived as less harmful than combustible cigarettes, their potential effects on the developing lung immune system and neonatal antiviral responses remain incompletely understood.

E-Cigarette Exposure in Pregnancy Under Investigation

Researchers will examine acids, bases, and salts used in newer e-cigarette products. Preliminary laboratory findings indicate that prenatal exposure to these compounds can disrupt innate immune pathways in the fetal lung.

The observed changes involved viral sensing, type I interferon signaling, and neutrophil-associated immune responses. They differed between male and female offspring and were associated with greater susceptibility to neonatal viral infection.

The project will determine how gestational exposure affects neutrophils, macrophages, natural killer cells, and alveolar epithelial cells. Researchers will use preclinical pregnancy and neonatal infection models alongside vaping exposure systems designed to mimic human use.

Mapping Changes in Fetal Lung Immunity

Spectral flow cytometry, confocal imaging, and single-cell RNA sequencing will be used to characterize immune alterations. Computational modeling and machine-learning and deep-learning methods will then identify affected gene networks and signaling pathways.

A separate study aim will assess whether postnatal interferon beta treatment can restore antiviral responses and disrupted gene networks in newborns exposed prenatally to e-cigarette components.

Biological sex will be examined as a determinant of fetal immune programming. Early data suggest that male and female fetal organs respond differently to gestational exposure, raising the possibility that resulting respiratory consequences may also vary by sex.

Potential Relevance for Clinical Counseling

The findings could clarify how prenatal vaping shapes immunity before birth and influences respiratory infection susceptibility after delivery. Ultimately, the work may inform counseling, prevention strategies, and future interventions for infants exposed to e-cigarette aerosols during pregnancy.

The investigators emphasized that integrating reproductive biology, immunology, virology, and systems-based analysis could reveal whether targeted treatment can restore protective antiviral responses in exposed newborns.

Reference
Wayne State University School of Medicine. New NIH grant to study effects of e-cigarette exposure on fetal respiratory immunity. 2026. Available at: https://www.newswise.com/articles/new-nih-grant-to-study-effects-of-e-cigarette-exposure-on-fetal-respiratory-immunity. Last accessed: September 10, 2026.

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