Arsenic trioxide affects bone remodeling by effects on osteoblast differentiation and function

Height and blood chemistry in adults with a history of developmental arsenic poisoning from contaminated milk powder

“…Experimental studies suggest that arsenic causes a decreased expression of ALP (Hu et al 2012), which is opposite in direction to the results of the present study. The exposed subjects had a history of arsenic poisoning in infancy but not of any subsequent or current arsenic exposure (Table 2), and our findings therefore reflect a long-term response, not an effect of a recent or ongoing exposure.…”

“…Because phosphate is crucial for bone growth and mineralization (Penido and Alon 2012), lack of phosphate due to substitution by arsenic may have led to shorter height among the exposed participants. Indeed, arsenic may affect bone metabolism, as shown in experimental studies (Aybar Odstrcil et al 2010;Hu et al 2012;Szymczyk et al 2006;Wu et al 2014), and arsenic exposure inhibits endochondral ossification and osteoblast differentiation (Aybar Odstrcil et al 2010;Wu et al 2014). In humans, chronic exposure is associated with diminished bone mass density in adult males (Akbal et al 2014).…”

“…Further, a prospective cohort study from Bangladesh suggests an inverse association between early-life arsenic exposure from contaminated drinking water and children's growth during infancy (Gardner et al 2013;Saha et al 2012). Growth inhibition due to arsenic exposure has been supported by laboratory animal studies that show decreased body length and femur length (Hu et al 2012), as well as decreased bone mass density (Wu et al 2014). A cross-sectional study of adult males reported an inverse association between environmental arsenic exposure and bone mass density (Akbal et al 2014).…”

“…In vitro studies have reported arsenic-induced decreased mineralization of osteoblasts in primary cell cultures (Hu et al 2012), decreased osteoblast differentiation (Wu et al 2014), and increased differentiation of preosteoclasts (Szymczyk et al 2006). Arsenate likely substitutes phosphate in the skeletal apatite crystals (Lindgren et al 1982), and arsenic exposure causes a decreased expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (Hu et al 2012), an enzyme that hydrolyzes pyrophosphate and provides inorganic phosphate needed for bone mineralization (Millan 2013).…”

Toxic Effects of Heavy Metals on Bone Tissue

“…Aynı çalışmada ratların femurlarından alınan örneklerde trabeküler kemik volümünün ve kemik mineral yoğunluğunun azaldığı gösterilmiştir (30). Başka bir deneysel çalışmada arsenik maruziyetinin enkondral ossifikasyonda bozulmaya neden olduğu saptanmıştır (31).…”