Association between urinary arsenic metabolites and dicer expression in occupational arsenic-exposed workers and the role of dicer in cell proliferation
JIANG Cheng-lan, LI Shu-ting, JIANG Jin-yun, YANG Xue-fei, LU Da-yan, HE Yue-feng
Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, School of Public Health, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China
Abstract：This study investigated the relationship between Dicer expression levels and urinary arsenic metabolites both in vivo and in vitro, as well as examined the role of Dicer in cell proliferation. For the epidemiological analysis, workers from a high arsenic-polluted factory in Yunnan Province were selected as the arsenic-exposed group, while residents from nearby villages without arsenic exposure history were recruited as controls. Urinary arsenic species (inorganic arsenic, monomethylarsonic acid [MMA], and dimethylarsinic acid [DMA]) were quantified, and Dicer mRNA expression levels in peripheral blood were measured. It was found that the relative Dicer mRNA expression in the arsenic-exposed group was significantly elevated compared to controls. Furthermore, Dicer mRNA levels were positively correlated with urinary inorganic arsenic, MMA, and DMA concentrations. For in vitro experiments, human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) were treated with sodium arsenite (1.5, 3, 4.5μmol/L) or 4.5μmol/L MMA, DMA, or sodium arsenite. Dicer mRNA and protein expression were analyzed by RT-qPCR and Western blot. Additionally, Dicer expression was knocked down in 16HBE cells using siRNA, and cell viability and proliferation were assessed via CCK-8 and EdU assays. It was observed that Dicer mRNA and protein levels in 3 and 4.5μmol/L sodium arsenite-treated cells were significantly upregulated compared to untreated controls, whereas no changes were detected in MMA- or DMA-treated groups. Knockdown of Dicer was shown to suppress cell viability and proliferation. Notably, sodium arsenite exposure combined with Dicer knockdown resulted in a more pronounced reduction in cell proliferation rates.
蒋成兰, 李舒婷, 江金鋆, 杨雪飞, 路大艳, 何越峰. 职业砷暴露工人尿砷代谢产物与Dicer表达的关联及Dicer在细胞增殖中的作用[J]. 中国环境科学, 2025, 45(5): 2905-2912.
JIANG Cheng-lan, LI Shu-ting, JIANG Jin-yun, YANG Xue-fei, LU Da-yan, HE Yue-feng. Association between urinary arsenic metabolites and dicer expression in occupational arsenic-exposed workers and the role of dicer in cell proliferation. CHINA ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCECE, 2025, 45(5): 2905-2912.
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