Mechanism of sex-related difference and its toxicological significance in the toxic manifestation of inorganic arsenic

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Population at health risk posed by exposure to inorganic arsenic in the groundwater is estimated to be more than 50 million in the world. One of the striking features of inorganic arsenic toxicity is its distinct inter-individual and inter-population variation, which is associated with sex, genetic characteristics, and nutrition. We hypothesized that the effects of all of these susceptibility-associated factors can be ascribable to the difference in arsenic metabolism, and tried to prove this using both field survey and experimental approach. In the field we have conducted survey in three arsenic-contamination sites in South Asia. Major findings included that sex-associated difference in toxic manifestation of arsenic depended on the outcome that we are observing, and that the proportion of the most toxic metabolites (MMA) showed negative correlation with the concentration of selenium.