The paper is to report the preparation of realgar bioleaching solution (RBS) by bacteria and the comparison of pharmacokinetics of RBS and H3AsO3 (ATO), and the study of its possible change of absorption and distribution of soluble arsenic in rat. The experiment was carried out on Wistar rats given peritoneal injection of RBS at a dose of 0.3 mg x kg(-1) (soluble arsenic content, 0.3 mg x kg(-1)), and rats given ATO at the dose of 0.3 mg x kg(-1) (soluble arsenic content, 0.3 mg x kg(-1)). The arsenic concentrations in many tissues including heart, liver, spleen, lung, renal and brain were determined. The changes of pharmacokinetic parameters and arsenic distribution in different tissues were detected and compared in these two groups of rats. The pharmacokinetic parameters of RBS and ATO are very similar. There is very few distribution of arsenic in the tissues in RBS group, compared with the ATO group. There is significant difference in the content of arsenic between two groups statistically (P < 0.01). It is feasible that we select the bacteria bioleaching solution as a candidate drug, which may be employed for primary change of arsenic compounds including dissolved inorganic arsenic and organic arsenic, in order to improve bioavailability and decrease the amount of arsenic accumulation in animal tissues. In addition, there is significant difference in the change of arsenic compounds between two groups. It can be concluded that, the investigation on application of microbial technology may provide a basis for exploratory research of realgar.
Animals ; Area Under Curve ; Arsenates ; pharmacokinetics ; Arsenic ; metabolism ; Arsenicals ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Bacteria ; metabolism ; Electrophoresis, Capillary ; methods ; Female ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Solutions ; Sulfides ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Therapeutic Equivalency ; Tissue Distribution

<p>OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes in mRNA expression of p53 and related downstream genes in peripheral blood lymphocytes in workers occupationally exposed to arsenic as well as its influencing factors, and to analyze the mechanism of genetic toxicity of arsenic.p><p>METHODSWith cluster random sampling, 79 workers from an arsenic smelting plant were selected as exposure group, and another 24 people without occupational exposure to arsenic were selected as control group. The relative mRNA expression of p53 and related downstream genes in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of the two groups was determined by quantitative realtime PCR. The levels of inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in urine were determined by hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry.p><p>RESULTSThe exposure group had significantly higher levels of iAs, MMA, and DMA than the control group (P<0.01); the exposure group had significantly higher relative mRNA expression (2(-ΔΔCt)) of p53 and four related downstream genes in peripheral blood lymphocytes than the control group (P<0.05); the relative mRNA expression of p53 and related downstream genes was positively correlated with each other (P<0.01), with a correlation coefficient greater than 0.4; the levels of arsenic compounds in urine were positively correlated with the relative mRNA expression of p53 and some of its downstream genes (P<0.05).p><p>CONCLUSIONThe changes in mRNA expression of p53 and related downstream genes are closely related to the metabolic transformation of inorganic arsenic in workers occupationally exposed to arsenic, and it also plays an important role in genetic toxicity and carcinogenic effect in people exposed to arsenic.p>
Arsenic ; adverse effects ; urine ; Arsenicals ; urine ; Cacodylic Acid ; urine ; Case-Control Studies ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; drug effects ; Occupational Exposure ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; metabolism

<p>OBJECTIVETo explore whether there is difference in arsenicals-induced DNA damage of human lymphocyte.p><p>METHODSLymphocyte were sterilely collected from healthy donor and exposed to sodium arsenite (AsIII), sodium arsenate(AsV) and methyl sodium arsenate(MAsv) at 1,5,10,20 and 50 mumol/L. After incubation of 24 hours, cells were collected by centrifugation and DNA damage was detected by single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE).p><p>RESULTSThe comet frequency distribution of all groups except 1 mumol/L group of MAsV were significantly different from that of control. The comet length of all groups except 1 mumol/L group of AsV and 1.5 mumol/L groups of MAsV were significantly higher than that of control. There were correlations between the doses of arsenicals and the ratios of comet cell or length of comet(rAsIII = 0.8134, rAsV = 0.8734, rMAsV = 0.8994).p><p>CONCLUSIONDNA damage in human lymphocyte were induced by all the three arsenicals. A dose-effect relationship was observed between exposure doses of the same arsenical and DNA damage. With different arsenicals but the same exposure dose, the DNA damage level was as follow: AsIII > AsV > MAsV.p>
Arsenates ; toxicity ; Arsenites ; toxicity ; Comet Assay ; DNA Damage ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; drug effects ; ultrastructure

Arsenic is a common metal-like element. Drinking arsenic-containing water and occupational exposure to arsenic are the main ways exposure to arsenic for population. Long-term exposure to arsenic can cause various organs dysfunction and cancer. After entering the body, inorganic arsenic is mainly methylated into monomethyl arsenic and dimethyl arsenic in the liver. Only a small part of inorganic arsenic is metabolized in the kidneys and lungs, and finally the metabolites of arsenic are excreted in the urine. understanding the biological characteristics of arsenic absorption, metabolism, and distribution in the body and formulating biological indicators related to occupational exposure to arsenic and can provide a scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of arsenic-related diseases. This article will review the biological monitoring indicators of occupational exposure to arsenic and the metabolic process of arsenic in the body.
Arsenicals ; Arsenic ; Occupational Exposure ; Drinking Water ; Liver/metabolism*

Realgar is a mineral traditional medicine with definite efficacy. The function of realgar is detoxicating, insecticiding, eliminating dampness and phlegm, etc. It is widely applied in clinical practice by compatibility medicines. However, the safety and scientificalness of clinical application are questioned because of the toxic effect caused by arsenic compounds. At present, there are still many problems in the research of realgar, which are mainly manifested in three areas: the expression of main components and effective substances are inconsistent; the anti-tumor mechanism is difficult to explain at the molecular level; the mechanism of compatibility is not clear. As a result, realgar and realgar-containing Chinese patent medicines are frequently prohibited from entering the international market, and the reputation of traditional Chinese medicine is also damaged. This paper would analyze the research status of realgar at home and abroad as well as its problems from its main components, effective substances, anti-tumor mechanism and compatibility mechanism. In view of these difficulties, quantum chemical calculation method is proposed to solve them, so as to make up for the shortcomings and limitations of experimental technology and experimental conditions, reduce the cost of realgar research and improve research efficiency. Moreover, it provides inspiration for research of other mineral medicine.
Arsenicals ; pharmacology ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Minerals ; Sulfides ; pharmacology

This study aims to establish a method for the determination of As B,As C,DMA,As( Ⅲ),MMA and As( Ⅴ) by using HPLC-ICP-MS. A Dioncx Ion PacTMAS7( 4 mm×250 mm) column was used for the HPLC-ICP-MS method. The mobile phase was 100 mmol·L-1 ammonium carbonate-1. 5 mmol·L-1 ammonium dibasic phosphate( gradient elution) at a flow rate of 1 m L·min-1. The injection volume was 10 μL. The linear relationships of As B,As C,DMA,As( Ⅲ),MMA,As( Ⅴ) were good with the concentration of10-500 μg·L-1. The average recovery rates( n = 6) were 105. 7%,100. 5%,102. 9%,105. 7%,100. 2%,92. 69%. The RSD were0. 50%,2. 4%,0. 93%,1. 3%,0. 89%,1. 5%. The precision and repeatability of this method were good. In this study,six forms of arsenic were separated effectively by this method. With methodological validation and sample determination,this method can be used to determine the morphological valence of arsenic in content determination.
Arsenic/analysis* ; Arsenicals/analysis* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Mass Spectrometry

Arsenic (As) is a well-known human carcinogen and its dietary exposure has been found to be the major route of entry into general population. This study was performed to assess the body levels of As and their associated factors in Korean adults by analyzing total As in urine. Urine and blood samples were collected from 580 adults aged 20 years and older, who had not been exposed to As occupationally. Demographic information was collected with the help of a standard questionnaire, including age, smoking, alcohol intake, job profiles, and diet consumed in the last 24 hrs of the study. Total As, sum of As(III), As(V), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), in urine was determined using atomic absorption spectrometer involving hydride generation method. The geometric mean concentration of total As in urine was 7.10 microg/L. Urine As was significantly higher in men (7.63 microg/L) than in women (6.75 microg/L). Age, smoking, alcohol consumption, and job profiles of study subjects did not significantly affect the concentration of As in urine. No significant relationship was observed between body mass index (BMI), Fe, and total cholesterol in serum and urinary As. Urine As level was positively correlated with seaweeds, fishes & shellfishes, and grain intake. A negative correlation between urinary As level and HDL-cholesterol in serum and meat intake was observed. Overall, these results suggest that urinary As concentration could be affected by seafood consumption. Therefore, people who frequently consume seafood and grain need to be monitored for chronic dietary As exposure.
Absorption ; Adult ; Aged ; Alcohol Drinking ; Arsenic ; Arsenicals ; Body Mass Index ; Cacodylic Acid ; Edible Grain ; Cholesterol ; Diet ; Female ; Fishes ; Humans ; Life Style ; Male ; Meat ; Occupations ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seafood ; Shellfish ; Smoke ; Smoking

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the analytical performances of Diasys reagents manufactured by Diasys Diagnostic Systems (Holzheim, Germany) with Hitachi 747. METHODS: We evaluated AST, ALT, ALP, gamma-GT, calcium, and glucose. Only two tests were adapt-ed to different methods from the current ones: the photometric test using the arsenazo III for calci-um, the kinetic colorimetric test according to Szasz/Persijin using l-gamma-glutamyl-3-carboxy-4-nitranilide as a substrate for gamma-GT. Precision, interference, linearity, and method comparisons were evaluated by NCCLS guidelines. RESULTS: The coefficient of variation (CV) of total precision was less than 6.8% in all items. Preci-sions and linearities of all items were acceptable. Correlation coefficients were more than 0.9884 and all items showed excellent agreement compared to the current reagents in the reportable range. We could not find any significant interference for six test items up to 750 mg/dL triglyceride, 50 mg/dL hemoglobin, and 20 mg/dL bilirubin, except that the latter ALT showed a negative bias by more than 5 mg/dL of bilirubin. CONCLUSIONS: Diasys reagents showed high precision, linearity and correlation in comparison to the current reagents. So we conclude that these reagents are good for routine clinical use with Hitachi 747.
Arsenazo III ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Bilirubin ; Calcium ; Glucose ; Indicators and Reagents* ; Triglycerides

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to evaluate the cytotoxicity of gallium arsenide(GaAs), indium phosphide(InP) and indium arsenide(InAs) all of which are used as the semiconductor eletments in semiconductor industry. METHODS: Cytotoxicity in the alveolar macrophage was evaluated by the measurement of in vitro magnetometry, LDH release assay and histological examination. RESULTS: The relaxation curves by the in vitro magnetometry showed that GaAs has the cytotoxicity for the alveolar macrophage which is more significant in the higher dosages, while this cytotoxicity is not appeared in the groups added with InP or InAs or PBS. In the decay constant for two minutes after magnetization, GaAs-added groups showed a significant decrease with increasing doses, but both InP- and InAs-added groups did not show any significance. The LDH release assay showed a dose-dependent increasing tendency in the GaAs-, InP- and InAs-added groups. In terms of cellular morphological changes, GaAs-added groups revealed such severe cellular damages as prominent destructions in cell membranes and their morphological changes of nucleus, while InP- and InAs-added groups remained intact in intracellular structures, except for cytoplasmic degenerations. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that GaAs is more influential to cytotoxicity of alveolar macrophages than InP and InAs.
Arsenic* ; Arsenicals* ; Cell Membrane ; Cytoplasm ; Gallium ; Indium ; Macrophages* ; Macrophages, Alveolar ; Magnetometry ; Relaxation ; Semiconductors

OBJECTIVE: To compare inhibition of cell growth and apoptosis in human cervical cancer cell lines (CaSki) by paclitaxel, cisplatin, arsenic trioxide and tetraarsenic oxide. METHODS: Inhibition of cell growth was determined by the water-soluble tetrazolium salts (WSTs) -1 assay. For apoptosis analysis in CaSki cell line treated with single or combination of two agents, CaSki cell line treated with each agent was stained with annexin-V/PI and flow cytometry was performed. RESULTS: Progression of apoptosis in CaSki cell line treated with paclitaxel, cisplatin, arsenic trioxide, and tetraarsenic oxide was time dependent. Inhibition of cell growth in CaSki cell line by paclitaxel, cisplatin, arsenic trioxide, and tetraarsenic oxide was dose and time dependent. Especially, tetraarsenic oxide was more effective in inhibition of CaSki cell growth compared to arsenic trioxide. Group treated with combination of cisplatin and tetraarsenic oxide showed more progressive apoptosis compared to other combination group. CONCLUSION: Tetraarsenic oxide has more potent anti-tumor effects than other agents on CaSki cell line. We need to consider further study about antitumor effect of tetraarsenic oxide through clinical study.
Apoptosis ; Arsenic ; Arsenicals ; Cell Line ; Cisplatin ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Oxides ; Paclitaxel ; Tetrazolium Salts ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms