Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e38249. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0038249. Epub 2012 May 31.
Arsenic (As) exposure is a significant worldwide environmental health concern. Chronic exposure via contaminated drinking water has been associated with an increased incidence of a number of diseases, including reproductive and developmental effects. The goal of this study was to identify adverse outcomes in a mouse model of early life exposure to low-dose drinking water As (10 ppb, current U.S. EPA Maximum Contaminant Level).
C57B6/J pups were exposed to 10 ppb As, via the dam in her drinking water, either in utero and/or during the postnatal period. Birth outcomes, the growth of the F1 offspring, and health of the dams were assessed by a variety of measurements. Birth outcomes including litter weight, number of pups, and gestational length were unaffected. However, exposure during the in utero and postnatal period resulted in significant growth deficits in the offspring after birth, which was principally a result of decreased nutrients in the dam's breast milk. Cross-fostering of the pups reversed the growth deficit. Arsenic exposed dams displayed altered liver and breast milk triglyceride levels and serum profiles during pregnancy and lactation. The growth deficits in the F1 offspring resolved following separation from the dam and cessation of exposure in male mice, but did not resolve in female mice up to six weeks of age.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Exposure to As at the current U.S. drinking water standard during critical windows of development induces a number of adverse health outcomes for both the dam and offspring. Such effects may contribute to the increased disease risks observed in human populations.
砷（As）暴露是一个全球性的环境健康问题。通过受污染的饮用水进行慢性暴露已与许多疾病的发病率增加有关，包括生殖和发育影响。本研究的目的是在早期生命接触低剂量饮用水砷（10 ppb，美国环保署当前最大污染物水平）的小鼠模型中确定不良后果。
C57B6/J 幼鼠通过母鼠饮用水中的砷（10 ppb）进行宫内和/或产后暴露。通过各种测量评估出生结局、F1 后代的生长和母鼠的健康。出生结局包括窝重、幼鼠数量和妊娠期长度不受影响。然而，在宫内和产后暴露导致后代出生后出现明显的生长缺陷，这主要是由于母鼠母乳中的营养物质减少所致。幼鼠的交叉寄养逆转了生长缺陷。暴露于砷的母鼠在怀孕期间和哺乳期显示出肝脏和母乳甘油三酯水平以及血清谱的改变。雄性小鼠与母鼠分离并停止暴露后，F1 后代的生长缺陷得到解决，但在六周龄的雌性小鼠中并未解决。
结论/意义：在发育关键期接触目前美国饮用水标准的砷会对母鼠和后代的健康产生多种不良后果。这些影响可能导致人类群体中观察到的疾病风险增加。
