Sex-related changes in gene expression patterns of adults exposed to arsenic contaminated drinking water

Arsenic contamination of drinking water occurs globally and is associated with numerous diseases including skin, lung, and bladder cancers, and cardiovascular disease. The mechanisms behind arsenic's effects remain unclear, but recent research indicates that aresnic acts along sex-specific lines and may be an endocrine disruptor. The objective of this study was to evaluate the nature of gene expression chagnes among males and females exposed to arsenic contaminated water in Bangladesh at high and low dose exposures.The median wAs concentration for the low exposure group was 103 g/L for males and 117 g/L for females (range 50200 g/L). For the high exposure group, the median wAs concentration was 355 g /L for males (range 250-500 g /L) and 434 g/L for females (range 2321000 g /L). The PBMCs of males with high exposure compared to those with low exposure there were 534 differentially expressed genes (p <0.05); and for females with high exposure relative to low exposure there were 645 differentially expressed genes (p <0.05) in PBMCs of females.

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Muñoz A, Chervona Y, Hall M, Kluz T, Gamble MV, Costa M