Table 2.

Serum and plasma biomarkers pre- and post-e-cig vaping

Acronym, units	Biological Meaning	Technique
NOx, μmol/L	Nitrites and nitrates produced from nitric oxide (NO), a potent vasodilatory gas	Colorimetric assay (serum)
CRP, ng/ml	C-reactive protein, marker of systemic and vascular inflammation	ELISA of serum
sICAM-1, ng/ml	Soluble Intercellular adhesion molecules, index of endothelial activation	ELISA of serum
ROS, AFU	Reactive oxygen species, marker of oxidative stress	Fluorescence microscopy of incubated HPMVECs
HMGB1, ng/ml	High mobility group box 1, initiates a pro-inflammatory response	ELISA of plasma
ASC, ng/ml	NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 inflammasome adaptor protein, linked to amplification of inflammation	ELISA of plasma

ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; AFU, arbitrary fluorescence units; HPMVECs, (immortalized) human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells exposed to 10% serum of the subject.