Urinary transforming growth factor-alpha in individuals exposed to arsenicin drinking water in Bangladesh

Recent evidence suggests that the development of skin lesions from arsenic exposure may be mediated by increases in the expression of various growth f actors, including transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF alpha). To investig ate this association in humans, levels of total urinary arsenic and urinary TGF alpha were determined in 41 individuals with and without arsenic-assoc iated skin lesions from Bangladesh who have chronic exposure to arsenic in their drinking water. After adjusting for age and sex, total urinary arseni c was found to be correlated with urinary TGF alpha (R-2 = 0. 37; p < 0.000 1), particularly in those individuals with arsenic-associated skin lesions (R-2 = 0.70; p < 0.0001). Stratification of the cohort into quartiles based on urinary TGF alpha levels demonstrated a trend of increasing odds ratios for the presence of arsenic-associated skin lesions with increasing urinar y TGF alpha, although this was not significant (p = 0.15). These results su ggest that urinary TGF alpha may be a useful biomarker for the epidermal ef fects of arsenic exposure.