Co-exposure of Arsenic and Iron Causes Hepatic Injury: A Tale of Two Hits

ISEE-0208 Background and Objective: Inorganic arsenic is a ubiquitous element and a natural drinking water contaminant. Chronic exposure to arsenic has been linked with a myriad of possible health effects, including liver abnormalities. Iron is an essential trace element for the growth development and long-term survival of most organisms. However, the effect of iron on arsenic associated toxicity has not been studied. Therefore, we studied the effect of coexposure of arsenic and iron on rats. Methods: Wistar rats were exposed to arsenic, iron and arsenic plus iron. We assessed the effect of arsenic and iron on rat liver at different dose for different time-intervals. Results: We found that a low dose of arsenic and iron acted synergistically to initiate rat liver injury. This was confirmed by the increase of serum aspartate and alanine transaminase levels. In addition, we found the levels of lipid peroxidation were also increased in rat liver tissue. Conclusion: We conclude that even a low dose of arsenic can interact with a low dose of iron and acts synergistically to induce acute hepatic damage in rat liver tissue.