Masuda Tomoyuki, Ishii Kazuhiro, Nakayama Tomohiro, Iwasaki Nobuaki
Faculty of Health Sciences, Mejiro University, Tokyo, Japan.
Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Neuropsychopharmacol Rep. 2025 Jun;45(2):e70025. doi: 10.1002/npr2.70025.
In 2003, contamination of drinking well water with diphenylarsinic acid (DPAA), an organoarsenic compound not naturally found in the environment, was reported in Kamisu City, Ibaraki Prefecture, due to suspected illegal dumping. Residents in the surrounding area, including pregnant women, were exposed to DPAA, leading to health issues primarily affecting the central nervous system. However, the extent of DPAA transfer from pregnant women to their fetuses remains unknown.
The concentration of DPAA in preserved dried umbilical cords from pregnant women who had consumed DPAA-contaminated well water was measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Additionally, pregnant rats (n = 9) were orally administered DPAA (0.25, 0.5, or 1.0 mg/kg/day) for 13 days. Fetuses (five per mother, n = 45) were delivered, and the DPAA concentrations in maternal and fetal blood, as well as in the brain, were measured.
The DPAA concentration in fetal blood was 30.0%-40.1% of that in maternal blood, regardless of the administered dose. On the other hand, the DPAA concentration in the fetal brain was 8.31%-9.00% of that in the maternal brain, independent of the administered DPAA dose.
The analysis of umbilical cords from pregnant women who drank water containing DPAA revealed that DPAA could transfer from the mother to the fetus through the placenta. Additionally, experiments using rodents confirmed that DPAA could also reach the fetal brain through placental transfer, but the transfer rate was low.
2003年，日本茨城县鹿岛市报告了饮用水井被二苯基胂酸（DPAA）污染的情况，DPAA是一种环境中天然不存在的有机砷化合物，疑似因非法倾倒所致。包括孕妇在内的周边地区居民接触到了DPAA，导致主要影响中枢神经系统的健康问题。然而，DPAA从孕妇转移到胎儿体内的程度仍不清楚。
使用液相色谱-串联质谱法测量饮用受DPAA污染井水的孕妇保存的干燥脐带中DPAA的浓度。此外，给9只怀孕大鼠口服DPAA（0.25、0.5或1.0毫克/千克/天），持续13天。产下胎儿（每只母鼠5只，共45只），并测量母鼠和胎儿血液以及大脑中的DPAA浓度。
无论给药剂量如何，胎儿血液中DPAA的浓度为母血中浓度的30.0%-40.1%。另一方面，胎儿大脑中DPAA的浓度为母脑浓度的8.31%-9.00%，与给药的DPAA剂量无关。
对饮用含DPAA水的孕妇脐带进行分析发现，DPAA可通过胎盘从母亲转移到胎儿体内。此外，使用啮齿动物进行的实验证实，DPAA也可通过胎盘转移到达胎儿大脑，但转移率较低。
