Biomarker and Arsenic

Arsenic exposure may lead to severe health problems for human beings. It affects both males and females non-selectively. The primary signs of arsenic exposure include nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and muscular discomfort while chronic exposure may lead to raindrop pigmentation, keratosis, gastrointestinal imbalances, neurological disorder, and cancer. Raindrop pigmentation is the first sign of arsenicosis followed by hyperkeratosis. At present, hairs, nails, and urine are effective biomarkers of arsenic exposure detection while blood, hematological parameters, hormones, tumour markers, and immunological parameters may act as a biomarker for arsenic toxicity in the future. Since, the increase in level of arsenic is directly correlated with an increase in different hormone levels including metabolic hormones including T3, T4, TSH, and steroidal hormones including testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone. The rise in the level of these hormones is directly correlated with the dose and duration of arsenic exposure which showed that not only female hormone estrogen and progesterone but male hormones testosterones are also increased by an increase in arsenic levels. Arsenic is associated with RBCs and it may act as an effective biomarker in finding arsenic load in an individual. Blood arsenic is a very good biomarker to detect arsenic mobilization between different tissues. Free oxygen radicals are showing overexpression due to arsenic exposure. Levels of hydrogen peroxide, superoxide radicals, hydroxyl radicals, peroxyl radicals, and glutathione peroxidase is showing high increase in people getting arsenic exposure. The expression is directly proportional to concentration and duration of exposure which indicate that it may also act as a biomarker for detecting arsenic toxicity. Many tumour markers are increasing in arsenic-induced cancer which showed a direct correlation of these tumour markers with carcinogenesis. The level of arsenic determines the expression of these tumour markers. So, it is concluded that haematological, biochemical, hormonal, and tumour markers may work as biomarkers for future detection of arsenic among people residing in the arsenic hit areas.