Arsenic accumulation, elimination, and interaction with copper, zinc and manganese in liver and kidney of rats

The arsenic accumulation, distribution and influences on metallothionein-1 (MT-1) expression and other trace elements in various organs were examined in rats orally exposed to sodium arsenate (iAsV). Rats received a dose of 0, 1, 10 and 100 ppm of iAsV in drinking water daily for 4- and 16-weeks. Arsenic seems to be distributed in all of the tissues, and was accumulated relatively higher in the spleen, lung and kidney compared to the liver, and much lower in skin and cerebrum. High dose of iAsV-exposure significantly increased the concentration of copper in the kidney, but did not influence other trace elements such as zinc and manganese in the liver. The mRNA expression of MT-1 was dose-dependently increased by iAsV-exposure in the liver whereas it was decreased in the kidney. These data indicate that arsenic is widely distributed and significantly accumulated in various organs and influences on other trace elements, and also modulates MT-1 expression in the liver and kidney.