College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.
Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2010 Jan;58(1):222-9. doi: 10.1007/s00244-009-9333-8. Epub 2009 May 24.
Arsenic (As) is a known human carcinogen and widely distributed in the environment. The main route of As exposure in the general population is through food and drinking water. Seafood harvested in Korea contains high-level organoarsenics such as arsenobetaine, arsenocholine, and arsenosugars, which are much less harmful than inorganic arsenics. However, for those who eat large amounts of seafood it is important to understand whether seafood consumption affects urinary levels of inorganic As metabolites such as arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). In this study we investigated urinary As metabolites (inorganic As, MMA[V], DMA[V]) and some biological indexes such as AST, GSH, GPX, lipid peroxidation, and uric acid in volunteer study subjects (seven males and nine females). Total urinary As metabolites were analyzed by the hydride generation method, followed by arsenic speciation using HPLC with ICP-mass spectrometry. Study subjects refrained from eating seafood for 3 days prior to the first urine collection and then ingested seafood daily for 6 consecutive days. The first voided urine of the morning was collected from each subject the first day of the consecutive 6 days of seafood ingestion but prior to the first seafood meal. The first voided urine of the morning was also collected on days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, and 14 after seafood ingestion. The daily mean intake of total As was 6.98 mg, comprised of 4.71 mg of seaweed (67%), 1.74 mg of flat fish (25%), and 0.53 mg of conch (8%). We observed a substantial increase in total urinary As metabolites for subjects consuming seafood from day 1, which recovered to control level at day 10. The increase in total urinary As metabolites was attributed to the increase in DMA, which is a more harmful metabolite than organoarsenics. However, no significant changes in response biological indexes were observed. These results suggest that it is necessary to evaluate As metabolism when assessing the exposure to inorganic As and potential chronic health effects of seafood consumption in Korea.
砷（As）是一种已知的人类致癌物，广泛分布于环境中。一般人群中砷暴露的主要途径是通过食物和饮用水。在韩国收获的海鲜中含有高浓度的有机砷，如砷甜菜碱、砷胆碱和砷糖，它们的危害性远低于无机砷。然而，对于那些大量食用海鲜的人来说，了解海鲜消费是否会影响尿液中无机砷代谢物（如亚砷酸盐、砷酸盐、一甲基砷酸（MMA）和二甲基砷酸（DMA））的水平是很重要的。在这项研究中，我们调查了志愿者研究对象（7 名男性和 9 名女性）的尿液砷代谢物（无机砷、MMA[V]、DMA[V]）和一些生物指标，如 AST、GSH、GPX、脂质过氧化和尿酸。采用氢化物发生法分析总尿砷代谢物，然后采用高效液相色谱-电感耦合等离子体质谱法对砷形态进行分析。研究对象在第一次尿液采集前 3 天内禁食海鲜，然后连续 6 天每天摄入海鲜。在连续 6 天摄入海鲜的第一天，每个研究对象清晨第一次排空尿液，但在第一次摄入海鲜之前。在摄入海鲜后的第 1、2、3、4、5、6、7、10 和 14 天清晨也收集了第一次排空的尿液。每日总砷摄入量为 6.98 毫克，其中 4.71 毫克来自海藻（67%），1.74 毫克来自平鱼（25%），0.53 毫克来自海螺（8%）。我们观察到，食用海鲜后，第 1 天尿液中总砷代谢物明显增加，第 10 天恢复到对照水平。总尿砷代谢物的增加归因于 DMA 的增加，DMA 是一种比有机砷更有害的代谢物。然而，未观察到生物指标的显著变化。这些结果表明，在评估韩国人接触无机砷和海鲜消费对潜在慢性健康影响时，有必要评估砷代谢。
