The Effect and Activity of Free Radical Enzymes Due to Arsenic Exposure Through the Vulva and Vagina

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY: Geogenic arsenic is ubiquitous, found in water and soil that is used daily, can be exposed to the female body through the genital organs. The vulva and vagina are open channels that allow toxic agents to enter the internal genitalia and distributed throughout the body.
 AIM OF THE STUDY: This study investigated the effects of vaginal arsenic exposure via vulvar immersion and vaginal douching in Rattus norvegicus on the damage of uterus and ovaries through oxidative mechanisms (MDA, SOD, and H₂O₂).
 METHODOLOGY: The experimental animals were divided into three treatment groups, i.e., K0 (control group), K1 (group treated with vulvar immersion in 0.8 mg/L arsenic solution), and K2 (group treated with vaginal douching using 0.5-mL of 0.8 mg/L arsenic solution). For each group, the treatment was repeated six times and carried out for fourteen days. Before the study, a seven-day acclimatization period was conducted for adaptation purposes. The experimental animals were euthanized using ketamine xylazine. The uterus and ovaries were collected for MDA, SOD, and H₂O analysis, as well as histopathology examination.
 RESULTS: The vaginal douching group had the highest MDA level both on the uterus (210.66±4.92μM) and the ovaries (214.67±2.50 μM). The immersion group also experienced an increase in MDA in the uterus (198.66±3.33μM) and ovaries (206.33± .21μM). However, a higher level of MDA was found in the ovaries. The highest H₂O₂ level was also found in the uterine and ovarian organs in the douching group. In contrast, the lowest SOD levels of uterine and ovarian were identified in the vaginal douching group. Arsenic exposure through vaginal immersion and douching affected the uterine MDA, SOD, and H₂O levels (Ρ<0.05). Arsenic exposure through vaginal douching also affected the ovarian MDA, SOD, and H₂O levels (Ρ<0.05). There was a significant difference in the mean of inflammatory cells (infiltrated neutrophils, macrophages, and lymphocytes) in the uterus and ovaries in the control, immersion, and vaginal douching groups (Ρ<0.05).
 CONCLUSION: Exposure to 0.8 mg/L arsenic solution through vulvar immersion and vaginal douching can cause oxidative stress and trigger inflammation of the uterine and ovarian tissue.

Ameliorating Effects of Arsenic-Induced Toxicity On The Histology Of Vagina And Reproductive Hormones Of Female Sprague Dawley Rats

“…But in group B animals, the height of vaginal epithelium was significantly reduced to a few layers of stratified squamous cells (p-value< 0.005). The possible cause of the decrease in height of vaginal epithelium after exposure to arsenic may be due to decrease estrogen levels 9,16 Biochemical parameters showed a significant reduction in serum FSH and LH levels with p-value < 0.05. Similar results were shown in a study by Hasan Huseyin Demirel where 28-day-old female rats were exposed to 100 mg/L and 600 mg/L of arsenic via drinking water for 4 weeks.…”