Journal of Inflammation Research (Oct 2021)

The Adverse Impact of Incense Smoke on Human Health: From Mechanisms to Implications

  • Lee CW,
  • Vo TTT,
  • Wee Y,
  • Chiang YC,
  • Chi MC,
  • Chen ML,
  • Hsu LF,
  • Fang ML,
  • Lee KH,
  • Guo SE,
  • Cheng HC,
  • Lee IT

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 14
pp. 5451 – 5472

Abstract

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Chiang-Wen Lee,1– 4,* Thi Thuy Tien Vo,5,* Yinshen Wee,6 Yao-Chang Chiang,1,2 Miao-Ching Chi,7– 9 Min-Li Chen,10,11 Lee-Fen Hsu,9,12 Mei-Ling Fang,13,14 Kuan-Han Lee,15 Su-Er Guo,11 Hsin-Chung Cheng,5,16 I-Ta Lee5 1Department of Nursing, Division of Basic Medical Sciences, Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion Research Center and Research Center for Chinese Herbal Medicine, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Puzi City, Chiayi County, Taiwan; 2Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Puzi City, Chiayi County, Taiwan; 3Department of Safety Health and Environmental Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei City, Taiwan; 4College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan; 5School of Dentistry, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; 6Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; 7Chronic Disease and Health Promotion Research Center, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Puzi City, Chiayi County, Taiwan; 8Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Puzi City, Chiayi County, Taiwan; 9Department of Respiratory Care, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Puzi City, Chiayi County, Taiwan; 10Department of Nursing, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Puzi City, Chiayi County, Taiwan; 11Graduate Institute of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Puzi City, Chiayi County, Taiwan; 12Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Puzi City, Chiayi County, Taiwan; 13Center for Environmental Toxin and Emerging-Contaminant Research, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 14Super Micro Research and Technology Center, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 15Department of Pharmacy, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan, Taiwan; 16Department of Dentistry, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: I-Ta LeeSchool of Dentistry, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wuxing St, Taipei, 11031, TaiwanTel +886-2-27361661 ext. 5162Fax +886-2-27362295Email [email protected]: Incense burning is a very popular activity in daily life among many parts all over the world. A growing body of both epidemiological and experimental evidences has reported the negative effects of incense use on human well-being, posing a potential threat at public significance. This work is a comprehensive review that covers the latest findings regarding the adverse impact of incense smoke on our health, providing a panoramic visualization ranging from mechanisms to implications. The toxicities of incense smoke come directly from its harmful constituents and deposition capacity in the body. Besides, reactive oxygen species-driven oxidative stress and associated inflammation seem to be plausible underlying mechanisms, eliciting various unfavorable responses. Although our current knowledge remains many gaps, this issue still has some important implications.Keywords: incense burning, oxidative stress, inflammation, cancer, toxicants

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