Environmental Contamination of Arsenic and its Toxicological Impact in Cardiovascular Tissues of Patients with Coronary Heart Disease

Background The concentration levels of As in the Chilean II Region of Antofagasta produces non cancer health outcomes such as cardiovascular diseases and in last term heart attack. On this study, the determination of total As content and main inorganic and organoarsenic species found in three heart tissues (auricle, mammary artery and fat) and the saphenous vein of people living in the Chilean II Region, suffering coronary thrombosis has been carried out. Comparison with similar tissues of patients from other non-contaminated areas has been undertaken. Methods Total As determination has been performed by HG-AAS and ICP-MS. For As species have been used the tandem HPLC-ICP-MS using the Hamilton PRP X100 anion column and methanolwater (11) extraction. Results The auricle and in less extend the saphenous vein support the higher As concentration (mean values of 7.7 and 2.5 g g-1, respectively), being As (III) the predominant species. Methylation towards MMA and DMA is not a favoured mechanism. Conclusions The presence of high total As and high As (III) species content in the auricle and saphenous vein of more contaminated people, the damage found in the saphenous vein tissue and the global characteristics of the people under study in which the As stigmas are present in all of them, suggests that As could be involved in the cardiovascular diseases.