Tobacco heating system has less impact on bone metabolism than cigarette smoke

Cigarette smoking promotes osteoclast activity, thus increasing the risk of secondary osteoporosis, leading to osteoporosis-associated fracture and impaired fracture healing. Heated tobacco products (HTP) are considered potential reduced-risk alternatives to cigarettes. However, their impact on bone metabolism remains to be elucidated. We developed an in vitro model that mimics in vivo bone cell interactions to comparatively evaluate the effects of HTPs and cigarette smoke on bone cell functionality and viability. We generated an in vitro coculture system with SCP-1 and THP-1 cells (1:8 ratio) cultured on a decellularized Saos-2 matrix with an optimized coculture medium. We found that, following acute or chronic exposure, particulate matter extract from the aerosol of an HTP, the Tobacco Heating System (THS), was less harmful to the bone coculture system than reference cigarette (1R6F) smoke extract. In the fracture healing model, cultures exposed to the THS extract maintained similar osteoclast activity and calcium deposits as control cultures. Conversely, smoke extract exposure promoted osteoclast activity, resulting in an osteoporotic environment, whose formation could be prevented by bisphosphonate coadministration. Thus, THS is potentially less harmful than cigarette smoke to bone cell differentiation and bone mineralization — both being crucial aspects during the reparative phase of fracture healing.