The Effect of Electronic Cigarette (ECIG) Liquid Vehicles on ECIG Acute Effects

May 1, 2018 updated by: Virginia Commonwealth University
This study examines the acute effects in ECIG users of the two primary vehicles in ECIG liquids, propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin. Thirty experienced ECIG users will use an ECIG in five conditions that will differ only by the propylene glycol:vegetable glycerin ratio: 100:0, 70:30, 50:50, 30:70, and 0:100 (device voltage, heater resistance, liquid nicotine concentration, puff number, and interpuff interval all will be held constant). Plasma nicotine concentration, subjective effects, and puffing behaviors will be recorded in each condition.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) are among the most important issues in public health today due to their dramatic increase in popularity. However, very little is known about ECIGs, including what factors may make them more likely to be used and abused. Examining factors that influence nicotine yield, delivery, and subjective effects from ECIGs is essential to understanding their abuse liability. Limited pre-clinical research has revealed that nicotine yield may be influenced by the ratio of the two liquid vehicles, propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG), most commonly found in ECIG solutions. Specifically, higher proportions of PG result in greater nicotine yields. However, the influence of PG:VG ratio on nicotine delivery and subjective effects associated with ECIG use has not been examined previously. The primary hypotheses are that higher proportions of PG will result in greater nicotine delivery and subjective effect profiles suggestive of higher abuse liability in ECIG users. Results from this project will result in further understanding of the factors that influence the abuse liability of ECIGs and could inform regulation of these products.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
41

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Virginia
      • Richmond, Virginia, United States, 23298
        • Clinical Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 55 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Participants must use ≥1 ml of ECIG solution daily
  • Must use ECIG solution with a nicotine concentration ≥12 mg/ml
  • Must have used an ECIG for ≥3 months
  • Must be willing to abstain from nicotine and tobacco products for ≥12 hours prior to each session.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of chronic disease or psychiatric condition
  • Regular use of a prescription medication
  • Marijuana use >10 and alcohol use >25 days in the past 30
  • Any other illicit drug use (e.g., cocaine, opioids) in the past 30 days.
  • Positive test for pregnancy (by urinalysis)
  • Daily use of >5 conventional tobacco cigarettes

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: 0 PG: 100 VG
Other: ECIG liquid vehicles
The ratio of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin will be changed while all other factors of the electronic cigarette provided to participants will be held constant.
Experimental: 30 PG: 70 VG
Other: ECIG liquid vehicles
The ratio of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin will be changed while all other factors of the electronic cigarette provided to participants will be held constant.
Experimental: 50 PG: 50 VG
Other: ECIG liquid vehicles
The ratio of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin will be changed while all other factors of the electronic cigarette provided to participants will be held constant.
Experimental: 70 PG: 30 VG
Other: ECIG liquid vehicles
The ratio of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin will be changed while all other factors of the electronic cigarette provided to participants will be held constant.
Experimental: 100 PG: 0 VG
Other: ECIG liquid vehicles
The ratio of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin will be changed while all other factors of the electronic cigarette provided to participants will be held constant.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Plasma nicotine concentration (ng/ml)
Time Frame: Collected at each of the 5 visits. Participants can complete up to 2 sessions/week. Thus the average time period to complete all 5 sessions is approximately 3 weeks. Each individual session is approximately 3 hours long.
taken via intravenous catheter
Collected at each of the 5 visits. Participants can complete up to 2 sessions/week. Thus the average time period to complete all 5 sessions is approximately 3 weeks. Each individual session is approximately 3 hours long.
Withdrawal suppression items on a visual analog scale
Time Frame: Collected at each of the 5 visits. Participants can complete up to 2 sessions/week. Thus the average time period to complete all 5 sessions is approximately 3 weeks. Each individual session is approximately 3 hours long.
provided using computerized questionnaire
Collected at each of the 5 visits. Participants can complete up to 2 sessions/week. Thus the average time period to complete all 5 sessions is approximately 3 weeks. Each individual session is approximately 3 hours long.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Virginia Commonwealth University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Tory R Spindle, B.S., Virginia Commonwealth University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 1, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 16, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 16, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 6, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 14, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 16, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 7, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 1, 2018

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • HM20004850
  • 1F31DA040319-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings