Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying arsenic-associated diabetes mellitus: a perspective of the current evidence

Abstract

Chronic exposure to arsenic has been associated with the development of diabetes mellitus (DM), a disease characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from dysregulation of glucose homeostasis. This review summarizes four major mechanisms by which arsenic induces diabetes, namely inhibition of insulin-dependent glucose uptake, pancreatic β-cell damage, pancreatic β-cell dysfunction and stimulation of liver gluconeogenesis that are supported by both in vivo and in vitro studies. Additionally, the role of polymorphic variants associated with arsenic toxicity and disease susceptibility, as well as epigenetic modifications associated with arsenic exposure, are considered in the context of arsenic-associated DM. Taken together, in vitro, in vivo and human genetic/epigenetic studies support that arsenic has the potential to induce DM phenotypes and impair key pathways involved in the regulation of glucose homeostasis.

Keywords::

• arsenic
• diabetes
• epigenome
• genome

Supplementary data

To view the supplementary data that accompany this paper please visit the journal website at: www.tandfonline.com/doi/Full/10.2217/nnm-2016-0161

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was funded by the National Institute of Health (R01ES015326, 3R01ES015326-03S1, P30ES010126, P42ES005948, R01ES019315 and T32ES007018). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by the National Institute of Health (R01ES015326, 3R01ES015326-03S1, P30ES010126, P42ES005948, R01ES019315 and T32ES007018). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.