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ARSENIC SPECIATION ANALYSIS IN HUMAN SALIVA
Citation:
YUAN, C., X. LU, N. ORO, Z. WANG, C. LE, Y. XIA, AND J. S. MUMFORD. ARSENIC SPECIATION ANALYSIS IN HUMAN SALIVA. CLINICAL CHEMISTRY. American Association of Clinical Chemistry, Washington, DC, 54(1):163-171, (2007).
Impact/Purpose:
to improve biomonitoring of human exposure to arsenic
Description:
Background: Determination of arsenic species in human saliva is potentially useful for biomonitoring of human exposure to arsenic and for studying arsenic metabolism. However, there is no report on the speciation analysis of arsenic in saliva. Methods: Arsenic species in saliva were separated by liquid chromatography and quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC-ICPMS). Identities of arsenic species were further characterized and confirmed by liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI/MS/MS). These methods were successfully applied to the determination of arsenite (AsIII), arsenate (AsV), and their methylation metabolites, monomethylarsonic acid (MMAV) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAV) in more than three hundred saliva samples collected from people who were exposed to varying levels of arsenic. Results: AsIII and DMAV were detected in the saliva samples from volunteers exposed to background levels of arsenic and the mean concentrations (and range) were AsIII 0.5 (0.5-0.7) ng/mL and DMAV 0.8 (n.d.-2.0) ng/mL. Samples from 301 people who were exposed to elevated concentrations of arsenic in drinking water showed detectable AsIII in 99% samples, AsV in 98% samples, MMAV in 80% samples, and DMAV in 68% samples. The mean concentrations (and maximum) of arsenic species in these saliva samples were (ng/mL): AsV 8.1 (120), AsIII 2.8 (37.7), MMAV 0.8 (6.0), and DMAV 0.4 (3.9). Fifty-nine saliva samples also contained an unidentified arsenic species (0.1 to 19 ng/mL). Conclusions: The methods enable sensitive and accurate speciation of AsV, AsIII, MMAV, and DMAV in human saliva, which is useful for human biomonitoring.
