| Abstrakt: |
Groundwater arsenic is the main public health concern in the Indo-Bangladesh Gangetic basin. Much work has been done on the carcinogenic effect of arsenic. Compared to that other cellular effects, cellular senescence in the human system was not studied. Replicative senescence that occurs by the gradual shortening of telomeres, and other cellular changes, is characteristic of human somatic cells. Premature senescence, characterized by increased beta-galactosidase activity; abnormal decrease in telomere length may also be the effect of arsenic. The objective of this study was to know whether premature senescence in the human cellular system can be induced by arsenic. Human cases were selected from the arsenic-affected district (Murshidabad), and controls were taken from the unaffected district (East Midnapore) of West Bengal. Senescence-associated beta-galactosidase in cell and telomere length measured by Southern blotting by DIG-labelled chemiluminescence method was conducted. The result indicated that arsenic causes premature cellular senescence in the human system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
