Sex-Specific Effects of Prenatal and Early Life Inorganic and Methylated Arsenic Exposure on Atherosclerotic Plaque Development and Composition in Adult ApoE−/− Mice
Luis Fernando Negro Silva, Kiran Makhani, Maryse Lemaire, Catherine A. Lemarié, Dany Plourde, Alicia M. Bolt, Christopher Chiavatti, D. Scott Bohle, Stéphanie Lehoux, Mark S. Goldberg, Koren K. Mann
Abstract
BACKGROUND: oxidation state) methyltransferase (As3MT). Methylated arsenicals are pro-atherogenic postnatally, but pre- and perinatal effects are unclear. This is particularly important because methylated arsenicals are known to cross the placenta. OBJECTIVES: mice lacking As3MT expression were susceptible to this effect. METHODS: inorganic or methylated arsenic in the drinking water from conception to weaning and assessed atherosclerotic plaques in the offspring at 18 wk of age. Mixed regression models were used to estimate the mean difference in each outcome relative to controls, adjusting for sex and including a random effects term to account for within-litter clustering. RESULTS: . CONCLUSION: This study shows that early life exposure to inorganic and methylated arsenicals is pro-atherogenic with sex-specific differences in plaque composition and a potential role for As3MT in mice. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP8171.