Effects of Menthol in E-cigarettes on Smoking Behaviors

June 12, 2026 updated by: Yale University
The overall goal of this proposal is to understand the relationship between nicotine metabolism and menthol flavor in e-cigarettes on smoking behavior in smokers.

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.

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.
14

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Connecticut
      • New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06519
        • Connecticut Mental Health Center

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

17 years to 61 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • At least 21 years of age
  • Able to read and write English.
  • Smoking at least 1 menthol cigarettes/cigars/little cigars per day
  • Report regular menthol cigarette use
  • Have at least 200ng/ml urine cotinine
  • Willing to abstain from combustible tobacco products 12 hrs prior to each experimental session.
  • not planning a smoking quit attempt.
  • Have not stopped use due to COVID.
  • used e-cigarettes at least 10 times in the past six months.
  • Fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
  • must report history of JUUL and other nicotine salt/pod devices (i.e., JUUL-like)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Use of psychoactive drugs including anxiolytics, antidepressants, and other psychostimulants unless prescribed and stable for two months.
  • Current diagnosis of any severe psychiatric disorder
  • Any significant current medical condition such as neurological, cardiovascular, endocrine, renal, pulmonary or hepatic pathology that would increase risk or would interfere with/mimic tobacco abstinence.
  • Known hypersensitivity to propylene glycol and nut allergies.
  • Pregnant or lactating females.
  • current criteria for moderate or severe cannabis and alcohol use disorder per DSM-5 criteria.
  • current criteria for other substance use disorders per DSM-5 criteria.
  • Seeking treatment to stop smoking.
  • individuals who do not want to use e-cigarettes.
  • Uncontrolled asthma (defined as <20 on Asthma Control Test) AND/OR endorsement of "yes" to environmentally induced bronchospasm that requires prescription Epipen)
  • blood pressure >170/>100 and heart rate >100
  • vaping of CBD/THC or marijuana related products in the past 3 months
  • For current THC vapers: Any report of mild or great EVALI-related symptoms (i.e. cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea, fever, chills, or weight loss) without non-EVALI reasonable and proximal cause

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: Other
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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: 5% nicotine with menthol flavor and tobacco flavor
All participants will receive 5% nicotine/menthol and 5% nicotine/tobacco e-cigarettes over the course of 2 lab sessions; the order of which flavor goes first at each lab session is counterbalanced with half getting menthol flavor first and half getting tobacco flavor first.
Drug: Nicotine
Participants will receive 5% nicotine in two flavor exposures via e-cigarettes. Each exposure will be 10 3-sec puffs

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 Levels
Time Frame: Lab 1 (day 1) and Lab 2 (24 hour minimum / 2 week maximum from Lab 1). During each lab session, plasma levels were collected at baseline, 5, 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes after e-cigarette exposure.
Mean plasma levels obtained after e-cigarette administration at each lab session (lab 1 and lab 2).
Lab 1 (day 1) and Lab 2 (24 hour minimum / 2 week maximum from Lab 1). During each lab session, plasma levels were collected at baseline, 5, 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes after e-cigarette exposure.
Nicotine Metabolic Rate
Time Frame: Lab 1 (day 1) and Lab 2 (24 hour minimum / 2 week maximum from Lab 1). During each lab session, plasma levels were collected at baseline, 5, 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes after e-cigarette exposure.
Mean Area under the curve (AUC) for plasma nicotine and NMR were computed and then log transformed to reduce skewness of the two measures.
Lab 1 (day 1) and Lab 2 (24 hour minimum / 2 week maximum from Lab 1). During each lab session, plasma levels were collected at baseline, 5, 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes after e-cigarette exposure.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
e-cigarette craving
Time Frame: up to 3 weeks
Labeled Magnitude Scale ; -100 (no sensation) to 100 (strongest imaginable)
up to 3 weeks
irritation/harshness
Time Frame: up to 3 weeks
Labeled Magnitude Scale ; -100 (no sensation) to 100 (strongest imaginable)
up to 3 weeks
liking of e-cigarette
Time Frame: up to 3 weeks
Labeled Hedonic Scale ; -100 (most disliked) to 100 (most liked)
up to 3 weeks
coolness
Time Frame: up to 3 weeks
Labeled Magnitude Scale ; -100 (no sensation) to 100 (strongest imaginable)
up to 3 weeks
nicotine withdrawal
Time Frame: up to 3 weeks
Drug effect questionnaire; 0("not at all") to 100("extremely") mm scale
up to 3 weeks
stimulation
Time Frame: up to 3 weeks
Drug effect questionnaire: 0("not at all") to 100("extremely") mm scale
up to 3 weeks
liking of e-cigarette
Time Frame: up to 3 weeks
Drug effect questionnaire: 0("not at all") to 100("extremely") mm scale
up to 3 weeks
e-cigarette use
Time Frame: up to 2 weeks
time line follow back
up to 2 weeks
cigarette use
Time Frame: up to 2 weeks
timeline follow back
up to 2 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
heart rate
Time Frame: up to 5 weeks
beats per minute
up to 5 weeks
blood pressure
Time Frame: up to 5 weeks
diastolic and systolic measurements
up to 5 weeks
pulse oximetry
Time Frame: up to 5 weeks
measurement of oxygen in blood
up to 5 weeks

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.
Yale 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)

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 (Actual)

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.
May 10, 2022

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.
July 25, 2023

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.
July 25, 2023

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).
August 1, 2020

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.
August 17, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

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.
August 20, 2020

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.
June 16, 2026

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.
June 12, 2026

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.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

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.
  • 2000028570
  • 2U54DA036151-06 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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.

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