Friday, October 31, 2025 10/31/2025

Chronic Hookah (Waterpipe) Smoking, Vascular Dysfunction, Inflammation and Oxidative Stress

Award Number: R01HL152435
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, & BLOOD INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/15/2020
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2024

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Chronic Hookah (Waterpipe) Smoking, Vascular Dysfunction, Inflammation and Oxidative Stress - Project Summary Tobacco smoking using a hookah (waterpipe) is rapidly increasing in popularity worldwide, particularly among youth. The spread of hookah smoking is promoted by the unsubstantiated belief that smoke is detoxified as it passes through the water filled basin; heavy marketing and glamorization of fruit-flavored tobacco products; and lack of policy regulation. Because traditional hookah is the only form of tobacco product that uses burning charcoal briquettes to heat the tobacco, in addition to tobacco combustion products, smokers are exposed to charcoal combustion products including high levels of carbon monoxide (CO), a potent vasodilator molecule, shown to mask acute hookah-induced endothelial dysfunction. Long-term cigarette smoking is known to cause impairment in endothelial and vascular function, and while both cigarette and hookah are vehicles for tobacco, the comparative effect of long-term hookah smoking is unknown. Accordingly, we now turn our attention to elucidate the long-term health effect of hookah smoking on endothelial and vascular function; and identify biomarkers of harm by which chronic hookah smoking affects vascular health. We hypothesize that with long- term hookah smoking, tobacco combustion products—mainly nicotine, high concentrations of particles, oxidants—and flavorings predominate and override the vasodilator effects of CO, leading to persistent endothelial and vascular dysfunction, thereby increasing the risk of future atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. We further hypothesize that the hookah-induced vascular dysfunction is at least in part mediated by enhanced formation of oxygen-derived free radicals, promoting systemic vascular inflammation and oxidative stress. To accomplish our goals, in 34 healthy chronic hookah smokers 21-49 years of age who do not smoke cigarettes—matched for age and sex with 34 cigarette smokers and 34 non-smokers—we will measure: (a) endothelial function, by brachial artery flow-mediated dilation; and (b) vascular stiffness, by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity and aortic augmentation index, as a measure of wave reflection. Biological markers of inflammation (high sensitivity C-reactive protein, 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α, fibrinogen) and oxidative stress (prooxidant high- density lipoprotein oxidant index and total antioxidant capacity) will be collected. Because hookah smoking has outpaced research needed to propose evidence-based regulation, findings will: (a) fill in large gaps in our understanding of the chronic effects of hookah smoking; and (b) provide a foundation for future long-term studies to establish the relationship between physiological and systemic biomarkers to specific cardiovascular pathologic processes, thereby building a scientific basis to inform the currently debated national policy decisions specific to hookah.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = -$24,670 )
2025	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act Regulatory Research	000	3	2/6/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$24,670
														Subtotal = -$24,670

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2023	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act Regulatory Research	000	3	5/10/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $465,545 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act Regulatory Research	001	3	8/22/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$465,545
2022	2021	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act Regulatory Research	000	2	10/15/2021	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$0
														Subtotal = $465,545

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $857,738 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act Regulatory Research	002	2	9/13/2021	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$388,121
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act Regulatory Research	001	2	8/25/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$469,617
2021	2020	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90095	LOS ANGELES	USA	Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act Regulatory Research	000	1	11/11/2020	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $857,738

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $480,797 )
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90095	LOS ANGELES	USA	Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act Regulatory Research	000	1	9/14/2020	NEW	$480,797
														Subtotal = $480,797

Grand Total All Awards = $1,779,410

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Chronic Hookah (Waterpipe) Smoking, Vascular Dysfunction, Inflammation and Oxidative Stress

Award Number: R01HL152435

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, & BLOOD INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/15/2020

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2024

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer