Clues to Arsenic’s Toxicity Microbiome Alterations in the Mouse Gut

Arsenic exposure has been linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancers of the skin, bladder, lung, and liver.1 The mechanisms behind these human health effects are an ongoing area of research.1 The gut microbiome metabolizes arsenic, generating several inter-mediate compounds that are either more or less toxic than arsenic itself.2 In turn, ingested inorganic arsenic—the more toxic form of the metal—has been shown to change the composition of the gut community.3 Researchers exploring this newer angle report in EHP that arsenic exposure appears to alter not only the composition of the gut microbiome but also the metabolites it produces.4 Study leader Kun Lu of the University of Georgia, Athens, and colleagues exposed C57BL/6 mice to 10 ppm arsenic in drinking water for 4 weeks. Then they used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to compare the gut microbiome profiles of arsenic-exposed mice with those of untreated mice. Additionally, the team analyze