Different Concentrations Of Arsenic Research Articles

Subchronic Arsenic Exposure Induces Behavioral Impairments and Hippocampal Damage in Rats.

This study investigated the effects of subchronic arsenic exposure on behavior, neurological function, and hippocampal damage in rats. Thirty-two male Wistar rats were divided into four groups and exposed to different concentrations of arsenic in their drinking water for 12 weeks, while weekly water intake and body weight were recorded. Various neurobehavioral tests were conducted, evaluating overall activity levels, exploratory behavior, short-term memory, spatial learning and memory, anxiety-like behavior, and depressive-like states. Arsenic levels in urine, serum, and brain tissue were measured, and histopathological analysis assessed hippocampal damage using hematoxylin and eosin staining. The results demonstrated that arsenic exposure did not significantly affect overall activity or exploratory behavior. However, it impaired short-term memory and spatial learning and memory functions. Arsenic-exposed rats exhibited increased anxiety-like behavior and a depressive-like state. Arsenic levels increased dose-dependently in urine, serum, and brain tissue. The histopathological examinations revealed significant hippocampal damage, including neuronal shrinkage, cell proliferation, irregular structure, disordered arrangement, and vacuolation. These findings emphasize the importance of understanding the impact of arsenic exposure on behavior and brain health, highlighting its potential neurological consequences.

Removal of arsenic from semiarid area groundwater using a biosorbent from watermelon peel waste

Groundwater is one of the most important reservoirs in semi-arid and arid zones of the world, particularly in Mexico. The aims of this work were to produce a biosorbent from watermelon peel waste and a biosorbent with citric acid treatment and to evaluate both biosorbents with different concentrations of arsenic in groundwater. The biosorbents were produced with watermelon peel residues, which were observed by SEM microscopy to evaluate their physical morphology. Its removal potential was tested at concentrations of 0, 1, 13, 22, and 65 μg/L of arsenic, and both adsorption capacity and removal percentage were analyzed by final measurement obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry. The pH was measured throughout the experimentation maintaining ranges between 5.5 and 7.5. The biosorbent without treatment presented clearer and more compact flakes. At the microscopic level, the biosorbent without treatment presented pores with a more circular shape, and the biosorbent with treatment was more polygonal, similar to a honeycomb. The highest removal percentage was 99.99%, for both treatments at 4 h. The biosorbent without treatment at 4 h with arsenic concentrations of 65 μg/L presented the highest adsorption capacity (2.42 μg/g). It is concluded that watermelon peel biosorbent is a material that has the potential to remove arsenic from groundwater. This type of biosorbent is effective to remove arsenic and could be used in the field, however, it still needs to be optimized to convert it into a material completely suitable for large-scale use.

Assessment of the Hormetic Effect of Arsenic on Growth and Physiology of Two Cultivars of Maize (Zea mays L.).

Although growth stimulation at low arsenic doses was observed in several plants, few studies have focused on this phenomenon in more detail. The effects of different concentrations of arsenic (0-50 mg kg-1 of soil: As0-As50) on the growth and selected physiological parameters of two maize cultivars (Zea mays L. cvs. Chapalu and MvNK 333) were tested. Cultivar MvNK 333 manifested a generally higher tolerance to As than cv. Chapalu, which may be related to the lower content of As in the tissues. The highest stimulatory effect of As was recorded at doses of As1 and As2 (cv. Chapalu), and at the As5 dose (MvNK 333), there was an increase in shoot elongation, biomass, and relative water content (RWC), as well as the content of photosynthetic pigments. The stimulatory effect of lower doses of As apparently represents an adaptation mechanism that is associated with water content regulation in the given conditions. The stomata of the studied cultivars were involved in this regulation in different ways. While cv. Chapalu exhibited increased numbers of stomata on both sides of leaves, cv. MvNK 333 instead responded to the given conditions with decreased stomata size. Although hormetic manifestations closely related to changes in stomatal number and size were observed, a typical stomatal hormetic response was not observed in the given range of As doses.

Effect of arsenic-contaminated irrigation water on growth and elemental composition of tomato and cabbage cultivated in three different soils, and related health risk assessment

This study was carried out to determine the effect of arsenic on tomato and cabbage cultivated in sand, sandy silt, and silt soil, and irrigated with water containing arsenic at concentrations 0.05 and 0.2 mg/L. Increasing arsenic in irrigation water did not affect the photosynthetic machinery. The chlorophyll content index increased in case of all soils and was dependent on the soil nitrogen, phosphorous, and plant biomass. Arsenic concentrations of 0.05 and 0.2 mg/L did not display any phytotoxic symptoms other than reduction in biomass in some cases. In cabbage, arsenic treatment of 0.2 mg/L increased the overall plant biomass production, while in tomato there was a decrease in aerial part and fruit biomass. The biomass production of both plants treated with different concentrations of arsenic, in the three soils was in the following order: silt > sand > sandy silt. Increase of arsenic in the irrigation water resulted in increase in arsenic concentration in the root and aerial part of both plants, at the same cultivation parameters. But tomato fruits displayed a decrease in arsenic accumulation with higher arsenic treatment. In both plants, the arsenic concentration in the plant parts changed in the following order: root > aerial part > fruit. Cabbage accumulated approximately twenty-fold more arsenic in the edible part (0.10–0.25 mg/kg DW) as compared to tomato (0.006–0.011 mg/kg DW) and displayed a good correlation with soil extractable arsenic. When cabbage was cultivated in three different soils applying the same irrigation water, it accumulated arsenic in the following order: sand > sandy silt > silt (p < 0.001 at 0.05 mg/L and p < 0.01 at 0.2 mg/L arsenic treatment). In tomato, the difference in arsenic accumulation among different soil types was highly significant (p < 0.001) but the accumulation pattern varied with the arsenic treatment applied. Sandy soil with the lowest total soil arsenic (4.32 mg/kg) resulted in the highest arsenic concentration in both plants. Among all soils and plants, the transfer factors and bioaccumulation factors were higher in sandy soil, and in cabbage. The estimated daily intake and hazard quotient values for arsenic were lower than 1 in all cases, implying no non-cancerous health risks at the arsenic concentrations applied in our study. Among nutrients only P showed a slight decline with increasing arsenic concentration while all other elements (Mg, K, Ca, S, Si, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn) did not display any significant changes.

Arsenic induces mTOR-dependent autophagy, whereas it impairs the autophagy-lysosome pathway and the potential role of TFEB in cultured dendritic cells.

Arsenic is a toxic metalloid, which also compromises immunity and causes various immunological disorders. Exposure to arsenic exerts the immunosuppressive properties of dendritic cells (DCs). Autophagy is a self-renewal process of cells, which degrades damaged macromolecules and organelles through the lysosomal pathway. Thus, herein, we attempt to clarify the impacts of autophagy and the autophagy-lysosome pathway on arsenic-exposed DCs. Bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) were exposed to different concentrations of arsenic (0.25, 0.5 and 1 μM) with or without LPS stimulation. Initially, we observed that arsenic induced autophagosome accumulation, significantly enhanced the LC3 II and p62 expressions and down-regulated the p-mTOR protein levels. We also determined that arsenic-induced autophagy occurred via an mTOR pathway. The results further revealed that arsenic inhibited autophagic flux in LPS-stimulated BMDCs using the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine (CQ). Meanwhile, arsenic significantly decreased the number of lysosomes, protein expression of lysosomal-specific markers LAMP1 and LAMP2, and the protein levels of lysosomal cysteine cathepsins (CTSD and CTSL). Moreover, the overexpression of transcription factor EB (TFEB), the master transcriptional regulator of autophagy and lysosome biogenesis, partially relieved arsenic-inhibited lysosomal CTSD and CTSL expressions, recovered the disorder of autophagic flux, promoted the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-12, and reduced anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 secretion. In summary, our results support the idea that arsenic induces autophagy through an mTOR-dependent pathway in cultured BMDCs. Meanwhile, arsenic weakens the process of autophagic flux, which may be partially due to lysosomal dysfunction. Furthermore, we also suggest that TFEB can positively act on the autophagy-lysosome pathway and influence the expression of immunocytokines in DCs.

Chronic arsenic exposure in drinking water interferes with the balances of T lymphocyte subpopulations as well as stimulates the functions of dendritic cells in vivo

The immunomodulatory properties of arsenic are nowadays supposed be associated with pathological injuries of this toxicant and the details have not been clarified. Our objective was to explore inflammation, differentiation of diverse T cell subsets, as well as the phenotypic molecules and functions of dendritic cells (DCs) by chronic arsenic exposure in vivo. We exposed different concentrations of arsenic (0, 0.1, 1 and 10 mg/L) in drinking water for 6 and 12 months in C57BL/6 mice. We first confirmed that low levels of arsenic induced excess inflammation evidenced by accumulation of macrophages and lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β in BALF and serum, as well as histological analysis. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that arsenic disturbed CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio in isolated pneumonocytes and splenocytes, as well as enhanced IFN-γ and reduced IL-4 in spleen. The mRNA expressions of transcription factors (T-bet, GATA3, ROR-γt) and cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-10, IL-23, IL-22) showed the imbalanced Th1/Th2/Th17 differentiation in arsenic exposed lung and spleen. We further testified that arsenic enhanced the percentages of CD11c+ DCs, and promoted the expressions of antigen presentation molecule MHC II and cytokine IL-12, co-stimulatory molecules (CD86, CD80), and chemokine receptors (CCR7, CCR5) in vivo. Moreover, arsenic activated the expressions of immune-related MAPKs and NF-κB. Taken together, our study here demonstrated that chronic arsenic exposure could disrupt the immune homeostasis in vivo possibly by interfering with the differentiation of Th1/Th2/Th17 subsets as well as the function of DCs.

Strong antioxidant capacity of horseradish hairy root cultures under arsenic stress indicates the possible use of Armoracia rusticana plants for phytoremediation

The potential contamination of the food chain is the most important aspect of arsenic (As) pollution, since it is highly toxic to all organisms. Thus, the search for As hyperaccumulators suitable to remove As from contaminated soils appears to be a vital task. Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana), a crop plant with a high potential to accumulate heavy metals, can also serve to study the physiological processes that accompany arsenic stress. The significant adverse effect caused by arsenic exposure is an oxidative stress. Plants have developed a highly organized system to quench free radicals, which includes the action of both enzymatic and non-enzymatic quenching. Saccharides are proposed to possess outstanding antioxidant activity in vitro, and thus, they are likely to effectively quench free radicals also in plant tissues. In this study, root cultures (hairy root type) of horseradish were grown in vitro on media with different concentrations of arsenic (5–60 µg l−1). Arsenic slowed down the growth, nevertheless up to three-fold biomass increase was achieved at the highest dose. Moreover, root tissues were able to remove as much as 75% of arsenic from the cultivation medium within 7 days. We also evaluated diverse oxidative-stress-related features: contents of reactive oxygen species, the activities of key antioxidant enzymes, and the contents of important antioxidant molecules, such as glutathione, proline, phenolic compounds and non-structural carbohydrates. At all arsenic treatments, we observed a significant proline content increase and enhanced antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase, catalase and glutathione-S-transpherase) activities peaking, however, at different doses. Soluble carbohydrates contents also significantly increased after 7-day treatment a then decreased nearly to the original levels. This study points to efficient antioxidant system of horseradish hairy roots enabling good growth and substantial As accumulation even under high As exposure. Providing that horseradish shares these important features with this model system, we could propose that horseradish is a promising candidate to exploit in arsenic phytoremediation.

Laser induced fluorescence resonance energy transfer for detection of arsenic in water

Ingestion of arsenic by the human body through drinking water induces numerous diseases. Therefore, detection and estimation of arsenic concentration in water, especially in groundwater, is important to protect the human world from its toxicity. In this work we demonstrate a laser induced fluorescence resonance energy transfer (LIFRET) method for the determination of the arsenic concentration in water. The fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is observed in an aqueous solution of 1, 8-naphthalimide and rhodamine-B by exciting it with a laser radiation of wavelength 405 nm. It is observed that if arsenic contaminated water is added to the pure solution of 1, 8-naphthalimide and rhodamine-B the wavelength of the peak in its FRET spectrum shifts from its pure value at 632.45 nm (peak position of the FRET spectrum of a pure solution of 1, 8-naphthalimide and rhodamine-B). These shifts of wavelengths are towards the lower wavelength side, corresponding to an increase in the concentration of arsenic added to the solution. In the present work, based on the shifting of the peak wavelength value of the FRET spectra corresponding to different concentrations of arsenic, we have described a method for the estimation of arsenic in water up to a lowest limit of 0.000 01 gm l−1 (the maximum permissible limit of arsenic in water according to the World Health Organisation). The LIFRET method described in this work is portable, relatively cost effective, more convenient and has the potential for any in situ measurement of arsenic in the ground water of arsenic contaminated areas.

Phenotypic and Molecular-Phylogenetic Analysis Provide Novel Insights into the Diversity of Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens.

A multiphasic approach was used to decipher the phenotypic features, genetic diversity, and phylogenetic position of 46 Curtobacterium spp. strains isolated from dry beans and other annual crops in Iran and Spain. Pathogenicity tests, resistance to arsenic compounds, plasmid profiling and BOX-PCR were performed on the strains. Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) was also performed on five housekeeping genes (i.e., atpD, gyrB, ppk, recA, and rpoB) of all the strains, as well as five pathotype strains of the species. Pathogenicity test showed that six out of 42 strains isolated in Iran were nonpathogenic on common bean. Despite no differences found between pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains in their plasmid profiling, the former were resistant to different concentrations of arsenic, while the latter were sensitive to the same concentrations. Strains pathogenic on common bean were polyphyletic with at least two evolutionary lineages (i.e., yellow-pigmented strains versus red/orange-pigmented strains). Nonpathogenic strains isolated from solanaceous vegetables were clustered within either the strains of C. flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens or different pathovars of the species. The results of MLSA and BOX-PCR analysis were similar to each other and both methods were able to discriminate the yellow-pigmented strains from the red/orange-pigmented strains. A comprehensive study of a worldwide collection representing all five pathovars as well as nonpathogenic strains of C. flaccumfaciens is warranted for a better understanding of the diversity within this phytopathogenic bacterium.

The secretome of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells protects SH-SY5Y cells from arsenic-induced toxicity, independent of a neuron-like differentiation mechanism

Arsenic exposure through contaminated food, water, and air causes irreversible neural damage and affects millions of people worldwide. Several studies have demonstrated that the secreted factors (secretome) from mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) can promote neural recovery after several forms of injury including stroke and neurodegenerative diseases. The present study was conducted to determine if the secretome from adipose-derived MSCs (ADSCs) prevents arsenic damage to SH-SY5Y cells. To this end, human neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) were pre-treated with the secretome from ADSCs and then challenged with different concentrations of arsenic. After various doses and exposure times, the extent of neuronal injury was assessed using MTT reduction and LDH release assays as well as LIVE/DEAD staining. These data demonstrate that the ADSC secretome protects SH-SY5Y cells from arsenic-induced toxicity. Previous reports have shown that the secretome of MSCs can induce neuroblast differentiation and mature neurons are less susceptible to chemical-induced toxicity. In the current study, proliferation assays, neurite length assessment, and quantitative RT-PCR of differentiation markers indicated that the ADSC secretome does not induce SH-SY5Y differentiation into a mature neuron-like phenotype. In contrast, our results demonstrated that soluble factor(s) in the ADSC secretome enhance SH-SY5Y cell substrate-dependent adhesion. The present study is the first to illustrate that the secretome from ADSCs protects SH-SY5Y cells from arsenic-induced toxicity. Additionally, we showed that protection against arsenic toxicity is not dependent on SH-SY5Y cell differentiation into a mature neuron-like phenotype, but involves soluble factor(s) in the secretome that appear to enhance cell survival by an adhesion-dependent mechanism.

Arsenic induces cardiac rhythm dysfunction and acylcarnitines metabolism perturbation in rats

Background: Arsenic has been shown to cause various diseases (such as blackfoot disease, cardiovascular diseases, bladder cancer and skin cancer) in many areas of the world. However, the effects of arsenic on cardiac rhythm functions still lack investigation.Methods: In this study, different concentrations of arsenic were orally applied to Sprague Dawley rats in order to examine the relationship between arsenic and cardiovascular rhythm (i.e. long QT) via electrocardiography measurement. In addition, QT correction formulas were used to correct the QT interval. Linear regression analysis was used to examine the correlation between the QT interval and cardiac cycle length, corrected QT and heart rate. A metabolomic approach was applied to study carnitine-derived metabolites under arsenic exposure by using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF MS) system.Results: The present findings showed that exposure to arsenic causes QT and corrected (QTc) prolongation and heart rate declines. However, the linear correlation analysis showed that there is no significant correlation between cardiac cycle length and the QT interval in both the uncorrected QT and corrected QT. The expression of acylcarnitine metabolites can be used to discriminate the control and arsenic-treated groups.Conclusions: This study provides information concerning the effect of arsenic at different concentrations on cardiac rhythm (such as QT, QTc, and heart rate) but not on cardiac cycle length. The metabolism of acylcarnitine metabolites can be a potential pathway for arsenic-induced cardiac rhythm dysfunction in rats.

Effect of typical impurities for the formation of floating slimes in copper electrorefining

In electrorefining, Group 15 impurities arsenic, antimony and bismuth, may precipitate within the bulk electrolyte as floating slimes and contaminate the copper cathodes. In order to determine the impurity specific thresholds related to the formation of suspended solids, synthetic copper electrorefining electrolytes with different concentrations of arsenic, antimony and bismuth were investigated by a continuous filtration method. The amount and composition of the floating slimes obtained were evaluated in terms of the initial impurity concentrations present in the synthetic electrolyte. As a result, the specific influence of arsenic, antimony and bismuth on the floating slime formation was ascertained. The results suggest that there is an upper limit in electrorefining electrolytes for antimony (Sb) of 800mg/L for floating slime formation, although the limit for Bi was less clear. Furthermore, the structure of the synthetic floating precipitates produced were analyzed using both SEM-EDS and XRD and showed typical amorphous structure of floating slimes with particle size of approximately 25μm and predicted composition of BiAsO4, SbAsO4, Sb2O3 and Bi2O3.

Investigation of arsenic accumulation and biochemical response of in vitro developed Vetiveria zizanoides plants

Vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanoides L. Nash) is found to be a suitable candidate for the phytoremediation of heavy metals. An investigation of arsenic (As) accumulation, translocation and tolerance was conducted in V. zizanoides plantlets upon exposure to different concentrations of arsenic (10, 50, 100 and 200µM) for 7 and 14 d. V. zizanoides plants were found effective in remediation of As, maximum being at 200µM after 14 d of exposure. The results of TBARS and photosynthetic pigments demonstrated that plants did not experience significant toxicity at all the concentrations of As after 7 days, however an increase in their level was found after 14 d. The up-regulation of antioxidant enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), catalase (CAT) and glutathione s-transferase (GST) in a coordinated and complementary manner enhanced tolerance to plants against arsenic induced oxidative stress. Taken together, the results indicated that in vitro developed plants of V. zizanoides have the potential to remediate and tolerate varying levels of As.

Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre tree seedlings offer a model species for arsenic phytoremediation

Hydroponic experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of different concentrations of arsenic (As) on seedlings of Pongamia pinnata (L.). Results revealed that P. pinnata successfully tolerated As up to 0.2–1.0mM and did not show significant reduction in growth and chlorophyll contents. However, the values of these parameters significantly reduced at 1.5mM of As exposure. Further, P. pinnata accumulated As about 1129–3322mgkg−1 dry weight in roots, and 345–3662mgkg−1 dry weight in shoots, respectively when exposed to 0.2–1.5mM As. Arsenic exposure at 0.2–1.5mM significantly enhanced oxidative stress markers [superoxide radical (SOR), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA)] contents, and activities of antioxidants [ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and catalase (CAT)] and nutrient accumulation. Increase in antioxidants and nutrient accumulation might have protected plants from As exposure. Additionally, bioaccumulation and translocation factors were >1 which also confirmed that test plant has greater ability to accumulate and detoxify greater amount of As.

Effects of Arsenic (III) and Chromium (VI) Toxicity on Digestive Enzymes’ Activities of Anabas testudineus (Bloch)

Effects of two different concentrations of arsenic (8.88 mg/l and 17.76 mg/l i.e., 25 and 50% of LC50 value) respectively and chromium (15.45 mg/l and 30.90 mg/l i.e., 25 and 50% of LC50 value respectively) were evaluated on digestive enzymes of Anabas testudineus for a period of 30 days under laboratory condition. Here As1 and As2, and Cr1 and Cr2 were referred to indicate the 25 and 50% of LC50 value of arsenic and chromium respectively. The result of different enzymes in different tissues was as follows: amylase and lipase activities showed highest in stomach, i.e., 466.81 and 283.33% respectively at 50% concentration of chromium; but moderate (272.78% at 25% of Cr and 264.65% at 50% of As) followed by lowest 219.07% at 25% As concentration. Protease activity at different concentrations of metals was in the order of As2 > As1 > Cr2 > Cr1. Protease activity showed highest in As2 or 50% concentration of As (397.92%) and lowest in 25% of Cr (316.39%). Lipase activity showed highest increment in intestine under As2 (409.23%) and lowest activity in Cr1 (137.84%). In intestine, the protease activity increased at As1 (288.99%) and the highest at As2 i.e., 367.39% compared to other concentrations. The significant changes (p > 0.05) in the enzyme activities in the different tissues like stomach and intestine in regard to different doses were investigated along with regression lines. So, it can be inferred that digestive enzyme activities of A. testudineus may be considered as the potential biomarkers for arsenic and chromium contamination in aquatic systems.

Arsenic Removal from Aqueous Solutions by Different Bacillus and Lysinibacillus Species

ABSTRACTRemoval of toxic and carcinogenic arsenic from underground water is very essential for the safety of water that may be used for drinking or irrigation. In this study, six different bacterial strains were recently isolated from a groundwater sample, routinely used for irrigation at Taif City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, containing arsenic, vanadium, and boron. The isolates were molecularly identified and the 16S rDNA sequencing data revealed their belonging to two different genera, Bacillus and Lysinibacillus. B. cereus strains EA4, EA5, and EA6 were able to resist arsenic up to 15 mg/L. B. cereus strain EA5 and a mixed culture of L. sphaericus EA1, B. fusiformis EA2, and Lysinibacillus sp. EA3 were found to be efficient in bioremediation of arsenic oxychloride up to 94.9% and 99.7%, respectively. Due to these near-standard records, these strains are strongly recommended for bioremediation of the highly toxic arsenic from the environment. B. cereus EA5 was also effective to remediate different concentrations of arsenic. High concentrations of arsenic showed dramatic decrease in the bioremediation activity of this strain. Reduction in cell size was distinct in scanning electron micrographs when cells were exposed to arsenic. Besides, protein electrophoresis showed that around 15 different stress proteins were produced when cells of B. cereus EA5 were exposed to arsenic oxychloride.

Anti-proliferative and genotoxic effects of arsenic and lead on human cells in vitro

Rapid industrialization and anthropogenic activities are main cause of environmental pollution, leading to an alarming situation. Both arsenic and lead are very dangerous to human health as exposure to these metal results in several abnormalities. In the present study, toxic effects of arsenic and lead were tested on HeLa cells. Cells were exposed to different concentrations of arsenic and lead and anti-proliferative response was tested using neutral red uptake assay. Comet assay was conducted to test the effect of arsenic and lead on DNA. Change in morphology and death of cells was observed after exposure to both metals. Comets were observed in the case of treated samples giving an indication of DNA damage. Ten different comet parameters were investigated for control and heavy metals treated samples. Present study clearly demonstrates that both arsenic and lead have anti-proliferative effect on HeLa cells and they also cause DNA damage. Overall, effects of arsenic exposure were more severe as compared to lead.

MiADMSA Protects Arsenic-Induced Oxidative Stress in Human Keratinocyte ‘HaCaT’ Cells

Arsenic toxicity may lead to skin manifestations and arsenic accumulation in keratinised tissue. Thus human keratinocytes has been extensively used to study dermal effects of arsenic exposure. The present study was aimed to investigate time and dose-dependent effects of arsenic using HaCaT cell line. Another major focus of the study was to evaluate if treatment with monoisoamyl dimercaptosuccinic acid (MiADMSA) offers protection against arsenic-induced oxidative stress and apoptotic cell death using HaCaT cells. HaCaT cell lines were incubated to three different concentrations of arsenic (10, 30 and 50μM) for 24h to identify the toxic dose by measuring oxidative stress variables. Later, MiADMSA pre-incubation for an hour preceded arsenic exposure (30μM). We evaluated cell morphology, lactate dehydrogenase, glutathione linked enzyme and antioxidant enzyme activities to measure oxidative stress status, while MTT assay and caspase 9 and 3 levels were determined for cell viability and apoptotic status. The present study suggests arsenic-induced toxicity in a concentration-dependant manner. Arsenic also caused a significant increase in lactate dehydrogenase accompanied by an elevated antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and caspase activity). Interestingly, pre-treatment of cell with MiADMSA elicited significant protection against arsenic-induced oxidative stress and apoptotic cell death. The present findings are of clinical relevance and suggest MiADMSA to be a promising candidate in protecting skin against arsenic-induced toxic effects, which need further exploration using in vivo experimental models.

Toxicity of As on Soil Neutral Phosphatase

Toxicity of As on soil neutral phosphatase was studied through a series indoor incubation experiments. Results showed that the activity of soil neutral phosphatase was significantly inhibited by As pollution, and the peak inhibiting ratio was appeared at the sixth incubation day. While the activity of soil neutral phosphatase was also decreased with concentration of As increasing in the same incubation day. The relationship between the concentration of as and soil neutral phosphatase was fit by model ①y=c/(1+bx)and ②y=c(1+ax)(1+bx).The model② was more suitable to describe the relationship between the concentration of As and soil enzyme. This means the effect mechanism of As on the soil neutral phosphatase was part of inhibition. The Km of neutral phosphatase was increase by As concentration adding, while the Vmax was lowered. This kind of inhibition belongs to mix competition inhibition. Phosphatase widely exists in the biological world, from lower organism Escherichia coli, yeast to higher animals and plant tissues, body fluid and human liver, prostate gland are found to have phosphatase exist. It can catalyze the phosphate hydrolysis of elemental and inorganic phosphate release, important enzymes of biological phosphorus metabolism [1-2]. Soil phosphatase is an enzyme that has a major impact on agricultural production, producing an important role in the cycle of soil phosphorus. Research show that phosphatase in soil and aquatic systems of phosphorus, organic phosphorus pesticide contaminated soil bioremediation is very important, so it can be used as material for ecosystem beneficial or deleterious effects of indicator. Therefore, some can be as the instructions of the beneficial or harmful effects of ecosystem biology. Arsenic is widespread nature of toxic heavy metals often pollute the environment with the waste material, pesticides, fertilizers and other. According to the statistics in early 1990s, each year around the world due to human activities the importation of soil arsenic content of 0.52-1.2 million tons, its impact on soil ecosystem is one of the important topics. This experiment which proposed indoor simulation method analysis different concentrations of arsenic contaminated soils of neutral phosphatase activity, to explore the effects of different concentrations of arsenic on soil phosphatase activity of short-term toxicity effect. Analysis of the influence degree and duration, further analysis between the two possible mechanism, provides the basis for environmental protection and monitoring.

Study of muscle glycogen content in both sexes of an Indian teleost Clarias batrachus (Linn.) exposed to different concentrations of Arsenic

The present investigation has been conducted to study the effect of different sublethal concentrations of arsenic (5, 10 and 15mg/L) on the muscle glycogen content in an Indian teleost, Clarias batrachus, during their post-spawning period (October to January).The species were exposed to various arsenic concentrations for six consecutive days i.e.,144h. Significant differences in average muscle glycogen content were found in the treated male and female C. batrachus specimens. However, significantly higher (P<0.01) muscle glycogen content was observed in male fish when compared to females in the untreated specimens. Arsenic caused muscle glycogenolysis in both sexes of C. batrachus. The depletions were not always dose (arsenic concentration) and time dependent, although higher concentrations were more glycogenolytic than the lower concentrations. After 96h of treatment with arsenic, less depletion of muscle glycogen content was recorded in both sexes of fish.