Background: Millions of individuals worldwide, particularly those living in rural and developing areas, are exposed to harmful levels of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in their drinking water. Inorganic As exposure during key developmental periods is associated with a variety of adverse health effects, including those that are evident in adulthood. There is considerable interest in identifying the molecular mechanisms that relate early-life iAs exposure to the development of these latent diseases, particularly in relationship to cancer.
Objectives: This work summarizes research on the molecular mechanisms that underlie the increased risk of cancer development in adulthood that is associated with early-life iAs exposure.
Discussion: Epigenetic reprogramming that imparts functional changes in gene expression, the development of cancer stem cells, and immunomodulation are plausible underlying mechanisms by which early-life iAs exposure elicits latent carcinogenic effects.
Conclusions: Evidence is mounting that relates early-life iAs exposure and cancer development later in life. Future research should include animal studies that address mechanistic hypotheses and studies of human populations that integrate early-life exposure, molecular alterations, and latent disease outcomes.
1Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; 2Arsenic Health Effects Research Program, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA; 3National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA; 4Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, USA; 5School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, Republic of Korea; 6Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand; 7Superfund Research Program, NIEHS, NIH, DHHS, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
Recommended Citation:
Kathryn A. Bailey,1 Allan H. Smith,2 Erik J. Tokar,et al. Mechanisms Underlying Latent Disease Risk Associated with Early-Life Arsenic Exposure: Current Research Trends and Scientific Gaps[J]. Environmental Health Perspectives,2016-01-01,Volume 124(Issue 2):170