Sensory Perception of Sweet Flavors in E-Cigarette

Despite the explosive popularity of sweet flavored electronic cigarettes, there is little empirical evidence regarding how "sweet" flavors interact with different levels of nicotine to reduce its perceived bitterness and harshness, and thereby increase its appeal and additive potential. This study will serve to fill this knowledge gap through empirical psychophysical data that will determine the association between sweet flavor and nicotine and its link to the acceptance and rejection of vaped nicotine.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Smoking
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: E-cigarettes with varying concentrations of nicotine & flavor

Detailed Description

We will recruit current, healthy e-cigarette users between the ages of 18-35.This study will require 1 visit to the Oregon State University campus to partake in a 1 hour (approximate) testing session. During the testing session, participants will be asked to puff commercial e-cigarettes containing 9 commercially available e-liquid preparations.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 19
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Oregon
    • Corvallis, Oregon, United States, 97330
      • Oregon State University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 35 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy adults between 18-35 years of age; have been vaping for at least 1 month; currently use an e-cigarette that contains nicotine; have used an e-cigarette with medium (9-12 mg/mL) or high (18 to 36 mg/mL) nicotine strength at some point in their e-cigarette using history.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Do not have mouth or throat problems that would keep subject from vaping comfortably; do not have health problems that would keep subject from tasting or smelling normally; do not have any food ingredient allergies and have never had an allergic reaction to propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin; do not have any respiratory allergies (i.e., frequent sneezing, nasal congestion, nasal discharge); do not have a history of pulmonary disease or asthma; are not in the process of trying to quit vaping; are not pregnant, breast feeding, or trying to become pregnant.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: E-cigarette; Subjects will be asked to vape various e-cigarettes at three concentrations of nicotine and sweet flavor (9 stimuli per subject). The subject will be asked to make ratings for the overall liking or disliking of the e-cigarette, followed by ratings on perceived intensities of sensations.	Other: E-cigarettes with varying concentrations of nicotine & flavor; Subjects will be asked to vape various e-cigarettes containing e-liquids at three concentrations of nicotine and sweet flavor (9 stimuli per subject).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Hedonic and Intensity Ratings	The outcome will be ratings obtained for liking or disliking of the stimulus and ratings for perceived intensities of sensations. These quantitative values collected from the scaling procedure will be analyzed corresponding to the level of nicotine and flavor for the particular stimulus. For rating perceived intensity, we will use the general Labeled Magnitude Scale (gLMS), developed for measurement of the intensity of oral sensation and taste. The scale is bounded by 'no sensation' at the bottom to 'strongest imaginable sensation of any kind' on top, with intermediate ratings between (bottom to top: barely detectable, weak, moderate, strong, very strong). A Labeled Hedonic Scale (LHS) will be used to measure individuals' liking or disliking of the oral sensation. The scale encompasses from "most disliked sensation imaginable" on one end to "most liked sensation imaginable" on the other end, with intermediate hedonic labels (like/dislike: slightly, moderately, very much, extremely).	Until July 2018

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Oregon State University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 21, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 12, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): June 12, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 2, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 2, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): November 6, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 11, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 9, 2019
• Last Verified: October 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Physiological Effects of Drugs; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Autonomic Agents; Peripheral Nervous System Agents; Cholinergic Agents; Ganglionic Stimulants; Nicotinic Agonists; Cholinergic Agonists; Nicotine
• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB # 8252

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: Yes