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. 2024 Jan 18;22(1):e8488. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2024.8488

TABLE 7.

Markers of genotoxicity in cells from exposed individuals.

Reference Test system Population size (n) case/control As exposure (mean) Results Additional information
Banerjee et al. (2010)

CA in lymphocytes

Serum oxidative stress enzymes activities

50 exposed (34 with skin lesions; 16 without)

41 unexposed from West Bengal (India)

Concentration in water (μg/L): exposed, 218.17; unexposed, 6.92; chronic exposure: more than 10 years

Significantly higher incidence of CA in exposed versus unexposed individuals

Catalase and myeloperoxidase activity higher in exposed versus unexposed individuals at low levels of exposure

Levels of As measured in urine, nails and hair
Bartolotta et al. (2011) MN assay in buccal cells 27 exposed to high levels, 32 exposed to low levels from rural and urban areas of Argentina Concentration in water (μg/L): exposed to high levels > 50 versus exposed to low levels < 50, serving as controls Significant increase of MN frequency in the exposed group of both rural and urban populations versus controls No effect of age and gender
Sampayo‐Reyes et al. (2010) Alkaline comet assay in peripheral blood leukocytes 84 exposed (adults and children): low exposed (n = 42); medium exposed (n = 26); high exposed (n = 19) from Northern Mexico

Concentration in water (μg/L)

Low exposed, 12.1; medium exposed, 16; high exposed, 45.6

A positive association was found between the level of exposure and DNA breaks (% of DNA in tail)

Correlation of the total urinary As content of the exposed individuals with the As content in drinking water

Influence of AS3MT Met287Thr polymorphism on DNA break induction

Banerjee et al. (2013) MN assay in urothelial cells

304 exposed

113 unexposed from West Bengal (India)

Concentration in cooked rice (mg/kg): exposed from > 100 up to > 300; unexposed ≤ 100; not significantly exposed to arsenic through drinking water Significantly higher MN frequency in all groups with a mean As concentration in cooked rice > 200 μg/kg versus lower exposure group (≤ 100–≤ 200)

Strong correlation between grouped urinary As and cooked rice As data

Information on possible confounding factors available

Hinhumpatch et al. (2013)

8‐oxodG in salivary DNA and urines by HPLC

hOGG1 gene expression by RT‐PCR in saliva

Children: 40 exposed/20 unexposed from Ron Phibul District (Thailand)

Concentration in water (μg/L): drinking water: exposed 5.66/unexposed 0.4;

Non‐drinking water: exposed 39.96/unexposed 2.97;

In utero and continuous exposure

Significantly higher levels of salivary 8‐oxodG in exposed children; levels of urinary 8‐oxodG excretion and salivary hOGG1 expression significantly lower in exposed children Analysis of As in drinking water, saliva, nails and urines. Information on possible confounding factors available
Paul, Das, et al. (2013) MN assay in urothelial cells and lymphocytes 189 arsenicosis/171 unexposed from West Bengal (India) recruited at two time points, (2005–06 and 2010–11)

Concentration in water (μg/L):

Exposed: 190.1 (2005–2006)/37.94 (2010–2011)

Unexposed: < 10

Decrease of As exposure resulted in significant decline of MN frequency in urothelial cells and lymphocytes

No changes of MN frequency in unexposed individuals at the two recruitment times

Decrease of As exposure resulted in significant decline in the number of individuals having dermatological disorders and in the severity of each dermatological outcome
Paul, Bhattacharjee, et al. (2013) MN assay in urothelial cells 145 exposed/60 unexposed (2004–2005); 128 exposed/54 unexposed (2010–2011) Concentration in water (μg/L): 348.23 (2004–2005)/ 5.60 (2010–2011)

Decrease of As exposure resulted in a significant decline in the MN frequency

No changes of MN frequency in unexposed individuals at the two recruitment times

Pei et al. (2013) 8‐oxodG by Elisa in urines and leukocytes 75 exposed/12 unexposed from China Concentration in water (μg/L): exposed from 27.2 to 35.6 from normal to severe skin lesions Chronic exposure to low levels selectively induces oxidatively induced DNA damage of peripheral blood polymorphonuclear cells Urinary As levels were increased in the severe skin lesion group compared with the normal group. Information on confounding factors available
Harper et al. (2014)

8‐oxodG in urines by Elisa

Protein carbonyls by Elisa in plasma

378 participants from Bangladesh Concentration in water (μg/L): five exposure categories from < 10 to > 300 None of the measures of As exposure was significantly associated with protein carbonyl or 8‐oxodG levels Water, blood and urinary As concentrations were measured. Information on possible confounding factors available
Paul et al. (2014) MN assay in lymphocytes 157 exposed (75 WOSL; 82 WSL)/ 88 unexposed individuals from West Bengal (India) Concentration in water (μg/L): exposed WOSL 186.74; WSL 195.66 / unexposed: 4.37 Significant increase of MN frequency in both subpopulations of exposed individuals (higher in WSL versus WOSL) versus unexposed individuals

As levels measured in water, urine, nails, hair and blood samples

Promoter hypomethylation of ERCC2 and decrease in CAK activity

Dutta et al. (2015)

Alkaline comet assay in airway cells

8‐oxodG in plasma by Elisa

142 chronically exposed women/ 131 unexposed women from West Bengal, India Concentration in water (μg/L): exposed 11–50; unexposed < 10 Significantly higher levels of DNA breaks (comet tail moment) in airway cells from exposed versus unexposed women. Increased levels of 8‐oxodG in plasma of exposed women Elevated inflammation markers in exposed women
Bandyopadhyay et al. (2016) MN assay in lymphocytes Children (5–15 years): 67 exposed/49 unexposed from West Bengal (India) Concentration in water (μg/L): exposed, 45.01; unexposed, 6.22; chronic exposure: since birth MN frequency significantly higher in exposed versus unexposed individuals Significant association of MN frequency in exposed individuals with reduced LINE‐1 methylation
Roy et al. (2016)

MN assay in exfoliated buccal cells

Comet assay in lymphocytes

138 individuals divided into four groups.

Group I (n = 54) non chewer, unexposed. Group II (n = 32) chewers, unexposed. Group III (n = 24) exposed, non‐chewers. Group IV (n = 28) chewers, exposed

Concentration in water (μg/L) exposed Group III, 43; Group IV, 43; unexposed Group I, 2 and Group II, 3 Statistically significant increase of MN frequency for Group II, III and IV as compared to controls (Group I); Group IV the highest incidence of MN. DNA breaks (% of tail DNA) gradual significant increase among the groups. Strong positive correlation between the exposed population and the frequency of binucleated cells Amount of chewing tobacco had significant positive correlation with MN frequency and in the percentage of tail DNA
Tovar‐Sanchez et al. (2016) Alkaline comet assay and CA in whole blood samples 22 exposed, 20 unexposed from Mexico Concentration in water (μg/L): exposed 60, unexposed (not detected) DNA breaks (tail length) and CA were positively and significantly correlated with As concentrations in whole blood samples. Terminal deletions registered the highest determination coefficient Check for metal concentration (Pb, As, Cu, Zn, Cd) in drinking water. As was the only metal with a significant difference in blood samples between exposed and control. Information on confounding factors available
Jiménez‐Villarreal et al. (2017) Two‐tailed comet assay in lymphocytes 76 exposed, 112 unexposed from Mexico Concentration in water (μg/L): exposed 14.3/unexposed 7.7 Significantly higher frequency of DSB (comet tail length) in exposed to higher levels of As versus control group Information on nutritional status and lifestyle variables
Phookphan et al. (2017) 8‐nitroguanine by Elisa in urines Children (6–9 years): 40 exposed, 41 unexposed; prenatally and early childhood exposed, from Thailand Concentration in water (μg/L): 8.38 and 78.05 for drinking and non‐drinking water, respectively. Levels of As in drinking and non‐drinking water in the control sites were 12.5‐ and 13.4‐fold lower The level of urinary 8‐nitroguanine was significantly higher in exposed newborns and children, by 1.4‐ and 1.8‐fold, respectively Hypomethylation of inflammatory genes (COX2, EGR1 and SOCS3)
Chatterjee et al. (2018) MN assay in buccal and urothelial cells, and lymphocytes Children (5–15 years): 68 exposed/52 non exposed from West Bengal (India) Concentration in water (μg/L) exposed 50.8 and unexposed 6.2; chronic exposure since birth Significantly higher MN frequency in all the three cell types in As exposed children versus unexposed children Correlation between urinary As and MN frequency in lymphocytes and urothelial cells
Mar Wai et al. (2019) 8 − oxodG in urines by Elisa 198 pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy from Myanmar Concentration in water (μg/L): 0.02–198, exposure for at least 6 months Higher urinary As concentrations were significantly associated with higher 8 − oxodG levels Urinary As concentrations were significantly correlated with drinking water As concentrations
Navasumrit et al. (2019) 8‐oxodG, 8‐nitroguanine by immunoassays, alkaline comet assay and MN assay in cord blood 205 pregnant women recruited during 2010–2012 from Haman Province, Vietnam

Concentration in toenail (μg/g): three groups were identified: low < 0.5, medium 0.5–1 and high > 1

Concentration in water (μg/L): low exposed group < 10; high exposed group ~ 60

Maternal toenail As level was significantly associated with all markers of early genetic effects. Cord blood As levels associated with DNA strand breaks (tail length, tail moment, %DNA in tail) and MN frequency

Cord blood As level significantly increased with maternal As exposure

The group of women with high exposure had a significant reduction in arsenic methylation capacity

Tsai, Kuo, et al. (2021) 8‐oxodG and N7‐MeG by LC–MS/MS in urines 788 participants were enrolled in a prospective cohort study in Taiwan between 1991 and 1994, with follow‐up between 2011 and 2014 Concentration in well water (μg/L): low < 24.30, high > 24.30; cumulative exposure (concentration in well‐water multiplied by the duration of artesian water consumption) low < 874.2, high > 874.2 The levels of 8‐oxodG and N7‐MeG have a significantly positive association with cumulative artesian well‐water As exposure and urinary As species levels after adjusting for age, sex and cigarette smoking Non‐statistically significant mediation effects of 8‐oxodG were observed. Higher risk of bladder cancer for participants with As exposure and urinary 8‐OHdG levels higher than the median

Abbreviations: 8‐OHdG, 8‐hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine; 8‐oxodG, 8‐hydroxydeoxyguanosine; As, arsenic; AS3MT, arsenic(III)methyltransferase; CA, chromosomal aberration; CAK, CDK‐activating kinase; Cd, cadmium; COX2, cytochrome c oxidase subunit II; Cu, copper; DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid; DSB, double strand break; EGR1, early growth response factor 1; ERCC2, excision repair cross‐complementation group 2; Elisa, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay; HPLC, high‐performance liquid chromatography; hOGG1, human 8‐oxoguanine DNA glycosylase 1; LC–MS/MS, liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry; LINE‐1, long interspersed nucleotide element‐1; MN, micronucleus; n, number; N7‐MeG, N7‐methylguanine; Pb, lead; RT‐PCR, reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction; SOCS3, suppressor of cytokine signalling 3; WOSL, without skin lesions; WSL, with skin lesions; Zn, zinc.