title: Elevated levels of plasma Big endothelin-1 and its relation to hypertension and skin lesions in individuals exposed to arsenic.
abstract: Chronic arsenic (As) exposure affects the endothelial system causing several diseases. Big endothelin-1 (Big ET-1), the biological precursor of endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a more accurate indicator of the degree of activation of the endothelial system. Effect of As exposure on the plasma Big ET-1 levels and its physiological implications have not yet been documented. We evaluated plasma Big ET-1 levels and their relation to hypertension and skin lesions in As exposed individuals in Bangladesh. A total of 304 study subjects from the As-endemic and non-endemic areas in Bangladesh were recruited for this study. As concentrations in water, hair and nails were measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The plasma Big ET-1 levels were measured using a one-step sandwich enzyme immunoassay kit. Significant increase in Big ET-1 levels were observed with the increasing concentrations of As in drinking water, hair and nails. Further, before and after adjusting with different covariates, plasma Big ET-1 levels were found to be significantly associated with the water, hair and nail As concentrations of the study subjects. Big ET-1 levels were also higher in the higher exposure groups compared to the lowest (reference) group. Interestingly, we observed that Big ET-1 levels were significantly higher in the hypertensive and skin lesion groups compared to the normotensive and without skin lesion counterpart, respectively of the study subjects in As-endemic areas. Thus, this study demonstrated a novel dose-response relationship between As exposure and plasma Big ET-1 levels indicating the possible involvement of plasma Big ET-1 levels in As-induced hypertension and skin lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rajshahi University, Bangladesh. khossain69@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ekhtear
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hossain
authors.forename: Khairul
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.forename: Fouzia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yeasmin
authors.forename: Md Rezaul
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Karim
authors.forename: Mashiur
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.forename: Smita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.forename: Shakhawoat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hossain
authors.forename: Abdul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aziz
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al Mamun
authors.forename: Afzal
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sheikh
authors.forename: Abedul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haque
authors.forename: M Tofazzal
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Hossain
authors.forename: Mostaque
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hossain
authors.forename: Parvez I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Haris
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ikemura
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyataka
authors.forename: Seiichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Himeno
authors.forename: Khaled
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hossain
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis; D020261:Arsenic Poisoning / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D001459:Bangladesh; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000139:chemically induced*; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009262:Nails / Q000737:chemistry; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000139:chemically induced*; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019332:Endothelin-1; D001151:Arsenic