ORIGINAL RESEARCH
The Relationship between Liver Dysfunction
and Arsenic Methylation in Mice
Shugang Li1, Rulin Ma1, Qiang Niu1, Shangzhi Xu1, Lijuan Pang2,
Yusong Ding1, Lati Mu1, Mingxia Jing1, Gangling Feng1, Jia Ming Liu1, Haixia Wang1, Feng Li2, Shuxia Guo1
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1Department of Public Health and Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Endemic and Ethnic Diseases (Ministry of Education)
2Department of Pathology and Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Endemic and Ethnic Diseases (Ministry of Education)
Shihezi University School of Medicine, Shihezi, Xinjiang 832002, China
Submission date: 2015-01-22
Final revision date: 2015-03-17
Acceptance date: 2015-03-22
Publication date: 2015-07-27
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2015;24(4):1667-1676
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ABSTRACT
The different methyl metabolic products of inorganic arsenic lead to various toxicities. Arsenic has been
demonstrated to induce hepatotoxicity by oxidative stress. The relationship between hepatic injury and inorganic
methylation is not yet known. This study was designed to explore the relationship between arsenic
methylation and liver oxidative stress induced by arsenic trioxide (ATO). Forty healthy KM mice were randomly
divided into control group (0.9% saline) and As2O3 (1.0 mg/Kg/day, 2.0 mg/Kg/day, 4.0 mg/Kg/day)
groups with gastric perfusion for five weeks using high-efficiency liquid chromatography and hydride genesis
atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (HPLC-HGAFS). The products of arsenic trioxiode methylating, including
trivalent inorganic arsenic (iAs3+), pentavalent inorganic arsenic (iAs5+), mono methyl arsenic (MMA), and
dimethyl arsenic (DMA) in the liver were determined. The indexes of arsenic methylation, including primary
methyl index (PMI) and second methyl index (SMI) were calculated. The level of hepatic function and activity
of MDA, GSH, SOD, and TAOC were detected with kits. We found that the remaining arsenic metabolic
products in liver significantly increased with the increasing doses of arsenic trioxide and the liver function and
oxidative stress deteriorated. Negative correlations were found between MMA%, PMI and GSH, SOD, and
TAOC, while DMA% and SMI positively correlated with the levels of ALT and AST. PMI and SMI negatively
correlated with TAOC, GSH, SOD, ALT, and AST, positively linked with the level of MDA. The present study
demonstrates that the hepatotoxicity induced by the arsenic accounts for deteriorating oxidative injury
activized by arsenic methylation metabolism, providing additional evidence to suggest a mechanism of arsenic
poisoning. Therefore, reducing the process of arsenic methylation may be potentially benefical in treating and
– more importantly – preventing arseniasis.