Exposure to arsenic and level of Vitamin D influence the number of Th17 cells and production of IL-17A in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells in adults

Circulating Copper Is Associated with Inflammatory Biomarkers in Greek Older Adults with Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, that causes a significant decrease in the quality of life of the afflicted and constitutes a great burden for the socioeconomic system. Trace elements and heavy metals are implicated in the pathophysiology of OA, exacerbating inflammatory and oxidative stress responses. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to quantify metals in plasma samples of Greek OA patients and explore their link with disease related parameters, health status or quality of life, as well as epigenetic OA markers. This is the first study on plasma metal levels in Greek knee OA patients. To achieve precision in plasma metal and miRNA measurements, high-quality samples were selected from a subset of 34 participants (NCT04783792). Demographic, quality of life, clinical, biochemical, inflammation, oxidative stress, and anthropometric parameters, as well as microRNA levels were assessed. Significant correlations were found between circulating metals with OA related parameters or with measured microRNAs. Also, significant positive associations between plasma copper (Cu) levels and CRP (p = 0.033) or IL-6 (p = 0.001) occurred when adjusting for age, gender, BMI, physical activity level, smoking, disease severity, total arthroplasty, and dietary intake of the respective metal. Cu's role in OA is bidirectional, and this study confirms the findings that in OA, Cu is positively associated with inflammation. Such relationships between lifestyle, environment and OA enhance our understanding and encourage further study on metals related to OA inflammation.

Association between urinary arsenic species and vitamin D deficiency: a cross-sectional study in Chinese pregnant women

Background

An increasing number of studies suggest that environmental pollution may increase the risk of vitamin D deficiency (VDD). However, less is known about arsenic (As) exposure and VDD, particularly in Chinese pregnant women.

Objectives

This study examines the correlations of different urinary As species with serum 25 (OH) D and VDD prevalence.

Methods

We measured urinary arsenite (As3+), arsenate (As5+), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) levels and serum 25(OH)D2, 25(OH)D3, 25(OH) D levels in 391 pregnant women in Tianjin, China. The diagnosis of VDD was based on 25(OH) D serum levels. Linear relationship, Logistic regression, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were used to examine the associations between urinary As species and VDD.

Results

Of the 391 pregnant women, 60 received a diagnosis of VDD. Baseline information showed significant differences in As3+, DMA, and tAs distribution between pregnant women with and without VDD. Logistic regression showed that As3+ was significantly and positively correlated with VDD (OR: 4.65, 95% CI: 1.79, 13.32). Meanwhile, there was a marginally significant positive correlation between tAs and VDD (OR: 4.27, 95% CI: 1.01, 19.59). BKMR revealed positive correlations between As3+, MMA and VDD. However, negative correlations were found between As5+, DMA and VDD.

Conclusion

According to our study, there were positive correlations between iAs, especially As3+, MMA and VDD, but negative correlations between other As species and VDD. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanisms that exist between different As species and VDD.

Arsenic exposure is associated with alterations to multiple red blood cell parameters among adults in rural Bangladesh

Chronic arsenic exposures are associated with multiple hematologic disturbances, including anemia. The goal of this study was to evaluate associations between arsenic exposures and hematological parameters among men and women who are chronically exposed to elevated levels of arsenic from drinking water. Hematologic analyses were performed on blood collected from 755 participants (45% male and 54% female) in the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS) cohort, Bangladesh. Herein, we used linear regression models to estimate associations between red blood cell (RBC) parameters (i.e., RBC counts, hematocrit (HCT), hemoglobin (Hgb), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC)) and measurements of arsenic exposure (urinary arsenic and urinary arsenic metabolites). Arsenic exposures showed trending associations with decreased RBC counts in both men and women, a positive association with MCV in males, and an inverse association with MCHC among males, but not among non-smoking females. Among men, those who smoked had stronger associations between arsenic exposures and MCHC than non-smoking males. Collectively, our results show that arsenic exposures affect multiple RBC parameters and highlight potentially important sex differences in arsenic-induced hematotoxicity.

Arsenic as an immunotoxicant

Arsenic is world-wide contaminant to which millions of people are exposed. The health consequences of arsenic exposure are varied, including cancer, cardiometabolic disease, and respiratory disorders. Arsenic is also toxic to the immune system, which may link many of the pathologies associated with arsenic exposure. The immune system can be classified into two interconnected arms: the innate and the adaptive immune responses. Herein, we discuss the effects of arsenic on key cell types within each of these arms, highlighting both in vitro and in vivo responses. These cells include macrophages, neutrophils, dendritic cells, and both B and T lymphocytes. Furthermore, we will explore data from human populations where altered immune status is implicated in disease and identify several data gaps where research is needed to complete our understanding of the immunotoxic effects of arsenic.