Arsenic Exposure through Dietary Intake and Associated Health Hazards in the Middle East

Abstract

Dietary arsenic (As) contamination is a major public health issue. In the Middle East, the food supply relies primarily on the import of food commodities. Among different age groups the main source of As exposure is grains and grain-based food products, particularly rice and rice-based dietary products. Rice and rice products are a rich source of core macronutrients and act as a chief energy source across the world. The rate of rice consumption ranges from 250 to 650 g per day per person in South East Asian countries. The source of carbohydrates through rice is one of the leading causes of human As exposure. The Gulf population consumes primarily rice and ready-to-eat cereals as a large proportion of their meals. Exposure to arsenic leads to an increased risk of non-communicable diseases such as dysbiosis, obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic heart disease, cancer, and maternal and fetal complications. The impact of arsenic-containing food items and their exposure on health outcomes are different among different age groups. In the Middle East countries, neurological deficit disorder (NDD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cases are alarming issues. Arsenic exposure might be a causative factor that should be assessed by screening the population and regulatory bodies rechecking the limits of As among all age groups. Our goals for this review are to outline the source and distribution of arsenic in various foods and water and summarize the health complications linked with arsenic toxicity along with identified modifiers that add heterogeneity in biological responses and suggest improvements for multi-disciplinary interventions to minimize the global influence of arsenic. The development and validation of diverse analytical techniques to evaluate the toxic levels of different As contaminants in our food products is the need of the hour. Furthermore, standard parameters and guidelines for As-containing foods should be developed and implemented.

The Role of microRNAs in Arsenic-Induced Human Diseases: A Review

“…Arsenic is classified as a human carcinogen, which can lead to many adverse health effects including DM, − skin lesions, , kidney disease, , neurological impairment, , cancer, , male reproductive injury, and CVD. , miRNAs dysregulation was considered to be one of the important mechanisms by which arsenic leads to toxicity and human diseases. ,,,, miRNAs can act as tumor suppressors and oncogenes, and the balance between the above two roles determined its carcinogenic potential. The following miRNAs were downregulated by arsenic, including miR-217, miR-182-5p, miR-455, Let-7a/b/c, miR-181b, miR-9, miR-200b/c, miR-410, miR-548ac, miR-3174, miR-138, miR-205, miR-34c-5p, miR-143, miR-181d/c, miR-6733, miR-148a, miR-373, and miR-134, while the majority of miRNAs that function as oncogenes are upregulated by arsenic exposure, such as miR-638, miR-155, miR-21, miR-889, miR-15b, miR-191, miR-186, miR-200a, miR-141, miR-190, miR-330-5p, miR-6734-5p, miR-885-5p, miR-184, miR-576-3p, miR-222, miR-221, and miR-451, which can directly target and inhibit the expression of tumor suppressors of RNF4, TGFβ1, VEGF, PDCD4, PTEN, Spry1, DAB2IP, LATS1, BASP1, BUB1, ACVR2A, CDK6, BMPR2, PHLPP, Skp2, IDH2, and MTPN.…”

“…Arsenic is classified as a human carcinogen, which can lead to many adverse health effects including DM, 31−33 skin lesions, 34,35 kidney disease, 36,37 neurological impairment, 28,38 cancer, 39,40 male reproductive injury, 30 and CVD. 40,41 miRNAs dysregulation was considered to be one of the important mechanisms by which arsenic leads to toxicity and human diseases.…”

“…24 A growing body of literature suggests that arsenic disrupts a series of cellular processes, including oxidative stress, 25 cell proliferation, 26 inflammation, 27 and autophagy and apoptosis. 25,28−30 Arsenic exposure can lead to many adverse health effects of diabetes mellitus (DM), 31−33 skin lesions, 34,35 kidney disease, 36,37 neurological impairment, 28,38 cancers, 39,40 male reproductive injury, 30 and cardiovascular disease (CVD) as cardiac arrhythmias, endothelial dysfunction, and ischemic heart failure. 40,41 miRNAs are involved in pathogenic mechanisms and regulated by oxidative stress and inflammation upon exposure to heavy metals.…”

“…More than 50 million people from West Bengal and Bangladesh were exposed to arsenic levels above 50 μg/L, which caused frequent arsenic poisoning and adverse effects on human health . A growing body of literature suggests that arsenic disrupts a series of cellular processes, including oxidative stress, cell proliferation, inflammation, and autophagy and apoptosis. ,− Arsenic exposure can lead to many adverse health effects of diabetes mellitus (DM), − skin lesions, , kidney disease, , neurological impairment, , cancers, , male reproductive injury, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) as cardiac arrhythmias, endothelial dysfunction, and ischemic heart failure. , …”

Arsenite to Arsenate Oxidation and Water Disinfection via Solar Heterogeneous Photocatalysis: A Kinetic and Statistical Approach

“…With nearly 1 billion people exposed to arsenic by food, and more than 200 million people exposed to it via drinking water [9][10][11], As is a serious threat to the physical, social, and economic well-being of people, affecting especially the population of developing countries [12]. Countries affected by high arsenic concentrations in groundwater include Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, China, Chile, Mexico, India, New Zealand, Nepal, USA, Vietnam, and Taiwan [13].…”