Effect of long-term administration of arsenic (III) and bromine with and without selenium and iodine supplementation on the element level in the thyroid of rat

Gestational Arsenic Trioxide Exposure Acts as a Developing Neuroendocrine-Disruptor by Downregulating Nrf2/PPARγ and Upregulating Caspase-3/NF-ĸB/Cox2/BAX/iNOS/ROS

The goal of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of gestational administrations of arsenic trioxide (ATO; As₂O₃) on fetal neuroendocrine development (the thyroid-cerebrum axis). Pregnant Wistar rats were orally administered ATO (5 or 10 mg/kg) from gestation day (GD) 1 to 20. Both doses of ATO diminished free thyroxine and free triiodothyronine levels and augmented thyrotropin level in both dams and fetuses at GD 20. Also, the maternofetal hypothyroidism in both groups caused a dose-dependent reduction in the fetal serum growth hormone, insulin growth factor-I (IGF-I), and IGF-II levels at embryonic day (ED) 20. These disorders perturbed the maternofetal body weight, fetal brain weight, and survival of pregnant and their fetuses. In addition, destructive degeneration, vacuolation, hyperplasia, and edema were observed in the fetal thyroid and cerebrum of both ATO groups at ED 20. These disruptions appear to depend on intensification in the values of lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide, and H₂O₂, suppression of messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, and activation of mRNA expression of caspase-3, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells, cyclooxygenase-2, Bcl-2–associated X protein, and inducible nitric oxide synthase in the fetal cerebrum. These data suggest that gestational ATO may disturb thyroid-cerebrum axis generating fetal neurodevelopmental toxicity.

WITHDRAWN: Toxic effects of gestational arsenic trioxide on the neuroendocrine axis of developing rats

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Concentration of Thyrotropic Hormone in Persons Occupationally Exposed to Lead, Cadmium and Arsenic

Thyroid hormones are essential for body homeostasis. The scientific literature contains restricted proofs for effects of environmental chemical factors on thyroid function. The present study aimed at evaluating the relationship between toxicological parameters and concentration of thyrotropic hormone in persons occupationally exposed to lead, cadmium and arsenic. The studies were conducted on 102 consecutive workers occupationally exposed to lead, cadmium and arsenic (mean age 45.08 ± 9.87 years). The estimated parameters characterizing occupational exposure to metals included blood cadmium concentration (Cd-B), blood lead concentration (Pb-B), blood zinc protoporphyrin concentration (ZnPP) and urine arsenic concentration (As-U). Thyroid function was evaluated using the parameter employed in screening studies, the blood thyrotropic hormone concentration (TSH). No differences were disclosed in mean values of toxicological parameters between the subgroup of persons occupationally exposed to lead, cadmium and arsenic with TSH in and out of the accepted normal values. Logistic regression demonstrated that higher blood total bilirubin concentrations (ORu = 4.101; p = 0.025) and higher Cd-B (ORu = 1.532; p = 0.027) represented independent risk factors of abnormal values of TSH in this group. In conclusion, in the group of workers exposed to lead, cadmium and arsenic, higher blood cadmium concentration seems to augment the risk of abnormal hormonal thyroid function.

Identifying sources of metal exposure in organic and conventional dairy farming

In humans the main route of exposure to toxic metals is through the diet, and there is therefore a clear need for this source of contamination to be minimized, particularly in food of animal origin. For this purpose, the various sources of toxic metals in livestock farming (which vary depending on the production system) must be taken into account. The objectives of the present study were to establish the profile of metal exposure in dairy cattle in Spain and to determine, by chemometric (multivariate statistical) analysis, any differences between organic and conventional systems. Blood samples from 522 cows (341 from organic farms and 181 from conventional farms) were analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to determine the concentrations of 14 elements: As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, I, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se and Zn. In conventional systems the generally high and balanced trace element concentrations in the mineral-supplemented concentrate feed strongly determined the metal status of the cattle. However, in organic systems, soil ingestion was an important contributing factor. Our results demonstrate that general information about the effects of mineral supplementation in conventional farming cannot be directly extrapolated to organic farming and special attention should be given to the contribution of ingestion of soil during grazing and/or ingestion of soil contaminated forage.

Arsenic trioxide and reduced glutathione act synergistically to augment inhibition of thyroid peroxidase activity in vitro

Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) is the enzyme involved in thyroid hormone synthesis. Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) is known to inhibit TPO activity in vitro. This inhibition is believed to occur when As2O3 binds to TPO's free sulfhydryl groups. Reduced glutathione (GSH) is also known to inhibit TPO activity in vitro. This inhibition may occur because GSH acts as a competitive substrate for hydrogen peroxide, or possibly reduce the oxidized form of iodide, requirements for TPO action. On the other hand, one could speculate that GSH reduces arsenic-induced TPO inhibition by interacting directly with arsenic or TPO, consequently limiting arsenic's ability to inhibit TPO activity. Since GSH is known to inhibit thyroid hormone synthesis while at the same time it is also known to be an important antioxidant preventing cellular damage induced by oxidative stress and protecting the thyroid gland from oxidative damage induced by arsenic, we wanted to determine if a combination of As2O3 and reduced GSH would either attenuate or augment the As2O3-induced inhibition on TPO activity. Using an in vitro system, TPO was assayed spectrophotometrically in the presence of As2O3 (0.01, 0.1, 1, and 10 ppm), GSH (0.1, 1, 5, and 10 ppm), and As2O3 (0.1 ppm) and GSH (0.01, 0.1, 1, or 10 ppm) combinations. Our results show that 0.1, 1.0, and 10 ppm As2O3 inhibit TPO activity. Similarly, 5 and 10 ppm GSH also inhibit TPO activity. When 0.1 ppm As2O3 (i.e., the lowest dose of arsenic able to partially inhibit TPO activity) is combined with 0.01, 0.1, 1.0, or 10 ppm GSH inhibition of in vitro TPO activity is augmented as indicated by complete inhibition of TPO. The mechanism of this augmentation and whether it translates to living systems remains unclear.

Iodine

Iodine levels in the United States have dropped precipitously over the past few decades, whereas antagonists such as bromine, perchlorate, and fluoride have become more ubiquitous. These changes have placed a nutritional burden on the human body and increased the potential for pathophysiological change at the cellular level. This review examines the clinical and peer-reviewed literature and provides perspective related to health-compromising trends that warrant close scrutiny in clinical practice and future research mandates.

The minimal arsenic concentration required to inhibit the activity of thyroid peroxidase activity in vitro

Arsenical compounds are known to interfere with normal thyroid function. Therefore, we designed an experiment to determine the minimal concentration of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) required to inhibit thyroid peroxidase (TPO) activity in vitro. The activity of commercially prepared human TPO was assayed spectrophotometrically in the absence (control) or presence of arsenic (0.1, 1.0, 5.0, and 10 ppm) during a 10-min incubation period. The results of this study indicate a significant dose-response relationship with the highest concentration of arsenic producing the greatest amount of TPO inhibition. Compared to controls, 0.1 ppm arsenic had no effect on TPO activity. Incubation for 2 min in the presence of 1.0, 5.0, or 10 ppm arsenic inhibited TPO activity to 4%, 9%, and 9% of control, respectively. After 10 min incubation in the presence of 1.0 or 5.0 ppm arsenic, TPO activity returned to 92% and 54% of control, respectively, while the presence of 10 ppm arsenic further inhibited TPO activity to 1% of control. In summary, arsenic trioxide inhibits in vitro TPO activity in a dose-dependent manner, and the minimal dose required to inhibit this activity is between 0.1 and 1 ppm.