Effects of Preconception and in Utero Inorganic Arsenic Exposure on the Metabolic Phenotype of Genetically Diverse Collaborative Cross Mice

Sex-specific transgenerational effects of preconception exposure to arsenite: metabolic phenotypes of C57BL/6 offspring

Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) has been linked to diabetes in both humans and mice, but the role of iAs exposure prior to conception and its transgenerational effects are understudied. The present study investigated transgenerational effects of preconception iAs exposure in C57BL/6J mice, focusing on metabolic phenotypes of G1 and G2 offspring. Body composition and diabetes indicators, including fasting blood glucose, fasting plasma insulin, glucose tolerance, and indicators of insulin resistance and beta cell function, were examined in both generations. The results suggest that the preconception iAs exposure in the parental (G0) generation induced diabetic phenotypes in G1 and G2 offspring in a sex-dependent manner. G1 females from iAs-exposed parents developed insulin resistance while no significant effects were found in G1 males. In the G2 generation, insulin resistance was observed only in males from iAs-exposed grandparents and was associated with higher bodyweights and adiposity. Similar trends were observed in G2 females from iAs-exposed grandparents, but these did not reach statistical significance. Thus, preconception iAs exposure altered metabolic phenotype across two generations of mouse offspring. Future research will investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying these transgenerational effects, including epigenomic and transcriptomic profiles of germ cells and tissues from G0, G1 and G2 generations.

Application of the in vivo oxidative stress reporter Hmox1 as mechanistic biomarker of arsenic toxicity

Inorganic arsenic (iAs) is a naturally occurring metalloid present in drinking water and polluted air exposing millions of people globally. Epidemiological studies have linked iAs exposure to the development of numerous diseases including cognitive impairment, cardiovascular failure and cancer. Despite intense research, an effective therapy for chronic arsenicosis has yet to be developed. Laboratory studies have been of great benefit in establishing the pathways involved in iAs toxicity and providing insights into its mechanism of action. However, the in vivo analysis of arsenic toxicity mechanisms has been difficult by the lack of reliable in vivo biomarkers of iAs's effects. To address this issue we have applied the use of our recently developed stress reporter models to study iAs toxicity. The reporter mice Hmox1 (oxidative stress/inflammation; HOTT) and p21 (DNA damage) were exposed to iAs at acute and chronic, environmentally relevant, doses. We observed induction of the oxidative stress reporters in several cell types and tissues, which was largely dependent on the activation of transcription factor NRF2. We propose that our HOTT reporter model can be used as a surrogate biomarker of iAs-induced oxidative stress, and it constitutes a first-in-class platform to develop treatments aimed to counteract the role of oxidative stress in arsenicosis. Indeed, in a proof of concept experiment, the HOTT reporter mice were able to predict the therapeutic utility of the antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine in the prevention of iAs associated toxicity.

Diverse genetic backgrounds play a prominent role in the metabolic phenotype of CC021/Unc and CC027/GeniUNC mice exposed to inorganic arsenic

Arsenic methyltransferase (AS3MT) is the key enzyme in the pathway for the methylation of inorganic arsenic (iAs), a potent human carcinogen and diabetogen. AS3MT converts iAs to mono- and dimethylated arsenic species (MAs, DMAs) that are excreted mainly in urine. Polymorphisms in AS3MT is a key genetic factor affecting iAs metabolism and toxicity. The present study examined the role of As3mt polymorphisms in the susceptibility to the diabetogenic effects of iAs exposure using two Collaborative Cross mouse strains, CC021/Unc and CC027/GeniUnc, carrying different As3mt haplotypes. Male mice from the two strains were exposed to iAs in drinking water (0, 0.1 or 50 ppm) for 11 weeks. Blood glucose and plasma insulin levels were measured after 6-h fasting and 15 min after i.p. injection of glucose. Body composition was determined using magnetic resonance imaging. To asses iAs metabolism, the concentrations of iAs, MAs and DMAs were measured in urine. The results show that CC021 mice, both iAs-exposed and controls, had higher body fat percentage, lower fasting blood glucose, higher fasting plasma insulin, and were more insulin resistant than their CC027 counterparts. iAs exposure had a minor effect on diabetes indicators and only in CC027 mice. Blood glucose levels 15 min after glucose injection were significantly higher in CC027 mice exposed to 0.1 ppm iAs than in control mice. No significant differences were found in the concentrations or proportions of arsenic species in urine of CC021 and CC027 mice at the same exposure level. These results suggest that the differences in As3mt haplotypes did not affect the profiles of iAs or its metabolites in mouse urine. The major differences in diabetes indicators were associated with the genetic backgrounds of CC021 and CC027 mice. The effects of iAs exposure, while minor, were genotype- and dose-dependent.

Sex-dependent effects of preconception exposure to arsenite on gene transcription in parental germ cells and on transcriptomic profiles and diabetic phenotype of offspring

Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) has been linked to diabetic phenotypes in both humans and mice. However, diabetogenic effects of iAs exposure during specific developmental windows have never been systematically studied. We have previously shown that in mice, combined preconception and in utero exposures to iAs resulted in impaired glucose homeostasis in male offspring. The goal of the present study was to determine if preconception exposure alone can contribute to this outcome. We have examined metabolic phenotypes in male and female offspring from dams and sires that were exposed to iAs in drinking water (0 or 200 μg As/L) for 10 weeks prior to mating. The effects of iAs exposure on gene expression profiles in parental germ cells, and pancreatic islets and livers from offspring were assessed using RNA sequencing. We found that iAs exposure significantly altered transcript levels of genes, including diabetes-related genes, in the sperm of sires. Notably, some of the same gene transcripts and the associated pathways were also altered in the liver of the offspring. The exposure had a more subtle effect on gene expression in maternal oocytes and in pancreatic islets of the offspring. In female offspring, the preconception exposure was associated with increased adiposity, but lower blood glucose after fasting and after glucose challenge. HOMA-IR, the indicator of insulin resistance, was also lower. In contrast, the preconception exposure had no effects on blood glucose measures in male offspring. However, males from parents exposed to iAs had higher plasma insulin after glucose challenge and higher insulinogenic index than control offspring, indicating a greater requirement for insulin to maintain glucose homeostasis. Our results suggest that preconception exposure may contribute to the development of diabetic phenotype in male offspring, possibly mediated through germ cell-associated inheritance. Future research can investigate role of epigenetics in this phenomenon. The paradoxical outcomes in female offspring, suggesting a protective effect of the preconception exposure, warrant further investigation.