Figure 1. Arsenic reduces barrier function in primary mouse tracheal epithelial (MTE) cell cultures.

MTE monolayers with established transepithelial resistance (TER) were exposed to arsenic-free or arsenic-supplemented media for 5 days. A dose-dependent reduction in TER was observed after a 5-day exposure to arsenic. “*” indicates significant difference from arsenic-free cultures on day 5 post-arsenic exposure, “^” indicates significant difference from the 0.8 μM cultures on day 5 post-arsenic exposure, and “#” indicates a significant difference (P < 0.05) in TER between day zero and day 5 post-arsenic exposure for each treatment group.