Effects of chronic arsenic exposure on hematopoietic function in adult mammalian liver

In these studies the effects of ingested arsenic (As(+5)) on hepatic heme biosynthetic capability and hemoprotein function in adult male rats were investigated. Animals exposed for 6 weeks to 0, 20, 40, or 85 ppm sodium arsenate in the drinking water suffered depression of hepatic δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) synthetase and heme synthetase (ferrochelatase) activities, with maximal decreases to 67 and 55% of control levels, respectively, at 85 ppm. Concomitantly, urinary uroporphyrin levels were elevated by as much as 12 times, and coproporphyrin by as much as 9 times, control values. The rate of incorporation of (3)H-ALA into mitochondrial and microsomal hemes was depressed by 40–50% at 20 ppm but was increased with regard to controls by as much as 150% at the higher treatment levels. A similar biphasic pattern was observed in regard to (14)C-leucine incorporation into cellular membranal proteins. In contrast, the levels of ALA dehydratase, uroporphyrinogen I synthetase, aminopyrine demethylase, and cytochrome P-450 were not significantly changed in As(+5)-treated rats. These results support the hypothesis that chronic, low level, arsenic exposure results in selective inhibition of mitochondrial-bound heme biosynthetic pathway enzymes (ALA synthetase and heme synthetase) resulting in a substantial increase in urinary porphyrins, uniquely characterized by a greater increase in uroporphyrin than coproporphyrin levels. These changes occur independent of, or prior to, alterations in hepatic hemoprotein-dependent functions and may thus serve in the clinical analysis of pretoxic exposure to arsenic compounds in human populations.