Arsenic toxicity in experimental guinea pigs: Quantitative assay and pathomorphological study

This investigation was undertaken to generate information pertaining to the assessment of arsenic residues in organs like liver, lungs and kidneys and to determine the scope for using blood and hair as biomarker of chronic arsenic exposure using guinea pigs as experimental model. The guinea pigs were fed 1% arsenic trioxide at the rate of 1 mg/kg body weight by oral gavages daily for 90 days and produced chronic toxicity. Estimation of arsenic residue was carried out on 90^th day post administration. There was significant enhancement of arsenic residues in the blood, hair, liver, lungs and kidneys with mean values of 57.18, 333.71, 331.96, 95.8 and 272.95 parts per billion (ppb) in guinea pigs of chronic toxicity as compared to 3.47,14.02,12.94, 2.56 and 5.56 ppb in control, respectively. Pathomorphological changes in the different visceral organs revealed fatty change in liver, pneumonitis, subacute interstitial nephritis, myocardial hyalinization, depletion of lymphoid tissue in malpighian corpuscles of spleen, perivascular and perineuronal oedema in cerebral cortex and necrosis in the alimentary tract.