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Evaluation of plasma arsenicals as potential biomarkers of exposure to inorganic arsenic

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 29, pages 718–729 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

Exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) remains a global public health problem. Urinary arsenicals are the current gold-standard for estimating both iAs exposure and iAs metabolism. However, the distribution of these arsenicals may differ between the urine and target organs. Instead, plasma arsenicals may better represent internal dose and capture target organ exposure to arsenicals. Drinking water iAs, plasma and urinary arsenicals were quantified in individuals living in the Zimapan and Lagunera regions of Mexico. The relationship between drinking water iAs and plasma arsenicals was examined using both Spearman correlations and multivariable linear regression models. In addition, the distribution of arsenicals in plasma and urine was examined and the association between plasma and urinary arsenicals was assessed using both Spearman correlations and multivariable linear regression models. Levels of iAs in drinking water were significantly associated with plasma arsenicals in unadjusted and adjusted analyses and the strength of these associations was similar to that of drinking water iAs and urinary arsenicals. These results suggest that plasma arsenicals are reliable biomarkers of iAs exposure via drinking water. However, there were notable differences between the profiles of arsenicals in the plasma and the urine. Key differences between the proportions of arsenicals in plasma and urine may indicate that urine and plasma arsenicals reflect different aspects of iAs toxicokinetics, including metabolism and excretion.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this work was provided by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (T32-ES007018 and 5R01-ES015326-02) and the Gillings Innovation Laboratory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Paige A. Bommarito, Christelle Douillet & Rebecca C. Fry

  2. Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Rowan Beck

  3. Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Rowan Beck

  4. Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Christelle Douillet & Mirek Styblo

  5. Departamento de Toxicologia, Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Mexico, DF, Mexico

    Luz M. Del Razo, Olga L. Valenzuela & Luz C. Sanchez-Peña

  6. Facultdad de Medicina, Universidad Juarez del Estado de Durango, Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico

    Gonzalo-G. Garcia-Vargas

  7. Curriculum in Toxicology and Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Mirek Styblo & Rebecca C. Fry

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  1. Paige A. Bommarito
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  2. Rowan Beck
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  4. Luz M. Del Razo
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Correspondence to Mirek Styblo or Rebecca C. Fry.

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Bommarito, P.A., Beck, R., Douillet, C. et al. Evaluation of plasma arsenicals as potential biomarkers of exposure to inorganic arsenic. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 29, 718–729 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-019-0121-x

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