TY - JOUR
T1 - Selenite restores Pax6 expression in neuronal cells of chronically arsenic-exposed Golden Syrian hamsters
AU - Aguirre-Vázquez, Alain
AU - Sampayo-Reyes, Adriana
AU - González-Escalante, Laura
AU - Hernández, Alba
AU - Marcos, Ricard
AU - Castorena-Torres, Fabiola
AU - Lozano-Garza, Gerardo
AU - Taméz-Guerra, Reyes
AU - de León, Mario Bermúdez
PY - 2017/1/1
Y1 - 2017/1/1
N2 - Arsenic is a worldwide environmental pollutant that generates public health concerns. Various types of cancers and other diseases, including neurological disorders, have been associated with human consumption of arsenic in drinking water. At the molecular level, arsenic and its metabolites have the capacity to provoke genome instability, causing altered expression of genes. One such target of arsenic is the Pax6 gene that encodes a transcription factor in neuronal cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two antioxidants, a-tocopheryl succinate (α-TOS) and sodium selenite, on Pax6 gene expression levels in the forebrain and cerebellum of Golden Syrian hamsters chronically exposed to arsenic in drinking water. Animals were divided into six groups. Using quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase (RT)- PCR analysis, we confirmed that arsenic downregulates Pax6 expression in nervous tissues by 53 ± 21% and 32 ± 7% in the forebrain and cerebellum, respectively. In the presence of arsenic, treatment with a-TOS did not modify Pax6 expression in nervous tissues; however, sodium selenite completely restored Pax6 expression in the arsenic-exposed hamster forebrain, but not the cerebellum. Although our results suggest the use of selenite to restore the expression of a neuronal gene in arsenic-exposed animals, its use and efficacy in the human population require further studies.
AB - Arsenic is a worldwide environmental pollutant that generates public health concerns. Various types of cancers and other diseases, including neurological disorders, have been associated with human consumption of arsenic in drinking water. At the molecular level, arsenic and its metabolites have the capacity to provoke genome instability, causing altered expression of genes. One such target of arsenic is the Pax6 gene that encodes a transcription factor in neuronal cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two antioxidants, a-tocopheryl succinate (α-TOS) and sodium selenite, on Pax6 gene expression levels in the forebrain and cerebellum of Golden Syrian hamsters chronically exposed to arsenic in drinking water. Animals were divided into six groups. Using quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase (RT)- PCR analysis, we confirmed that arsenic downregulates Pax6 expression in nervous tissues by 53 ± 21% and 32 ± 7% in the forebrain and cerebellum, respectively. In the presence of arsenic, treatment with a-TOS did not modify Pax6 expression in nervous tissues; however, sodium selenite completely restored Pax6 expression in the arsenic-exposed hamster forebrain, but not the cerebellum. Although our results suggest the use of selenite to restore the expression of a neuronal gene in arsenic-exposed animals, its use and efficacy in the human population require further studies.
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U2 - 10.18388/abp.2017_1607
DO - 10.18388/abp.2017_1607
M3 - Article
SN - 0001-527X
VL - 64
SP - 635
EP - 639
JO - Acta Biochimica Polonica
JF - Acta Biochimica Polonica
IS - 4
ER -