Arsenic in biological tissue

McSheehy, S., J. Szpunar, R. Morabito, and Ph. Quevauviller. 2003. The speciation of arsenic in biological tissues and the certification of reference materials for quality control. Trends Anal. Chem. 22 191-209. 

W. A. Maher, Some observations on the determination of total arsenic in biological tissues, Microchem. J., 40 (1989), 132-135. 

Lewisite is reported to possess a characteristic (geraniumlike) odor in the range of 0.8 mg/m to more commonly cited 14-23 mg/m median detection (Pechura and Rail, 1993). US forces have detectors for lewisite-paper and kits (M7 and M9A). Other forensic techniques for soil and material analysis already exists (e.g. gas chromatography). In biological tissues, increased arsenic levels are a surrogate for lewisite (Haddad and Wincester, 1983). 

Arsenic is an ubiquitous element which occurs in the form of various chemical species in the environment. In biological tissues, the main species identified is arsenobetaine which is considered to be non toxic and present at more than 90% in fish tissues and does not exceed 50% in molluss [8]. Other species such as arsenocholine, tetra-methylarsonium ion, trimethylarsenoxide, dimethylarsinic acid and arsenosugars have also been identified [9],... 

Orvini, E. and Delfanti, R. (1979). Determination of arsenic at nanogram level in biological tissues by radiochemical activation analysis, Radiochem. Radioanal. Letters,, 199-206. 

Frost DV (1967) Arsenicals in biology. Retrospect and prospect. Fed Proc 26 194-208 Fuentes N, Zambrano F, Rosenmann M (1981) Arsenic contamination metabolic effects and localization in rats. Comp Biochem Physiol 70C 269-272 Gadd GM (1993) Microbial formation and transformation of organometallic and organometalloid compounds. FEMS Microbiol Rev 11 297-316 Georis B, Cardenas A, Buchet JP, Lauwerys R (1990) Inorganic arsenic methylation by rat tissue slices. Toxicology 63 73-84... 

In mammals, the distribution is so minute and variable that it can have little biological significance. Impure table salt is a source of arsenic in human tissues. The metal tends to accumulate in skin and hair. 

In addition, the following techniques should be developed and implemented (1) more sophisticated measurements of the chemical forms of arsenic in plant and animal tissues (2) correlation of biologically observable effects with particular chemical forms of arsenic and (3) management of arsenical wastes that accommodates recycling, reuse, and long-term storage. 

Recently, Sakai et al. have combined flame Zeeman atomic absorption spectrometry (FZAAS) with selective vapourisation of the spaaes from a sample, placed in a crucible which is slowly heated, to investigate the speciation of arsenic compounds in oyster tissue. This method could prove useful if the top temperature reached by the system is high enough to allow the vapourisation of a wider variety of species that may exist in biological samples. Presently, the highest temperature attainable is 400 °C. 

Another intensively studied element in speciation analysis is arsenic. The biological and environmental effects of arsenic species and their transformation pathways have been studied in numerous papers.40- 42 Both arsenite and arsenate accumulate in living tissues because of their affinity for proteins, lipids and other cellular compounds.43 Arsenic species can undergo transformation via... 

Stable aerosols of fine particulates as well as vapors constitute the greatest health risk because of the likelihood of pulmonary absorption. Correlations between trace element pollution and their concentrations in biological fluids or tissue are not uncommon and have been documented for arsenic (62) and lead (63). Man can absorb 75-85% of inhaled mercury vapor at concentrations of 50-350 pg/M3 (64) and even more at lower concentrations (65). Certain aerosols like vanadium, iron, manganese, and lead may contribute to the formation of secondary atmospheric pollutants (52, 66). 

J. Rirby, W. Maher, M. Ellwood, F. Rrikowa, Arsenic species in marine biological tissues by HPLC-ICP-MS and HPLC-HG-ICP-MS, Austral. J. Chem., 57 (2004), 957-966. ... 

M. Deaker, W. Maher, Determination of arsenic in arsenic compounds and marine biological tissues using low volume microwave digestion and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, J. Anal. Atom. Spectrom., 14 (1999), 1193-1207. 

Krynitsky has studied the preparation of biological tissue for the determination of arsenic by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Zeeman graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry has been used to determine organoarsenic compounds in horse urine . 

Some of the difficulties in the unbiased determination of certain trace elements in biological materials may be due to problems of speciation. The range of complex organo-metallic species that can be found in nature is very wide (Frausto da Silva and Williams, 1991). In carrying out an analysis for a particular element in any type of biological fluid or tissues, major assumptions are made concerning the precise chemical composition of element species present. Different analytical techniques will have different sensitivities towards particular element species. Much of the early understanding of the special analytical problems posed by element speciation comes from studies of arsenic (Buchet et al., 1980 Buchet et al., 1981) and mercury (Clarkson, 1983). Problems with other metals remain to be resolved and may require considerable analytical sophistication such as in the analysis of chromium speciation (Urasa and Nam, 1989). 

Scattering results with "seafood arsenic", probably due to decomposition problems, are also obvious from intercalibrations of trace metals in (marine) biological tissue organized by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (e.g. Berman and Boyko, 1992). 

Two major species (DMA and arsenobetaine) were detected in both biological tissues. Extraction efficiencies were very different from one laboratory to another (50 to 90%), which may be explained either by the determination of total arsenic content or by the exraction method. Therefore, it was recommended to check that the quantification of total arsenic was under quality control by using a reference material of similar composition (e.g. CRM 278 from BCR or DORM-1 from the NRCC). 

The distinctive porphyrin patterns associated with exposure of animals to lead, mercury, and arsenic, compared with the normal profile, are depicted in Fig. 8. Changes in urinary porphyrin patterns associated with these and other metals offer promise as biomarkers of metal exposures and potential toxicity in humans from several perspectives. As biological responses to metal effects in target tissues, changes in porphyrin patterns are indicative of the internal concentration of metals in target tissues, and clear dose-response and time-related effects of metals with respect to development of porphyrin profile changes have been demonstrated in animal studies. These findings... 

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