Arsenic exposure and pruritus: evidence from observational,
interventional, and Mendelian randomization studies
Abstract
Background: Pruritus has been reported as an adverse drug
reaction to arsenic trioxide, but the association of arsenic exposure
with pruritus has not been systematically investigated. To investigate
the association of arsenic exposure with pruritus, we performed
observational, interventional, and Mendelian randomization studies.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Shimen,
China. A Mendelian randomization study was conducted to confirm the
causal relationship between susceptibility to arsenic toxicity, in terms
of genetically predicted percentages of monomethylated arsenic (MMA%)
and dimethylated arsenic (DMA%) in urine, and chronic pruritus in the
UK Biobank participants. Then, a case-control study in Shimen
participants was conducted to determine the biomarker for pruritus, and
arsenite-treated mice were used to confirm the biomarker. Last, a
randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to test
the efficacy of naloxone, a μ-opioid receptor antagonist, in
arsenic-exposed patients with pruritus in Shimen. Results: Hair
arsenic showed a dose-response relationship with the intensity of itch
in 1092 participants. The Mendelian randomization analysis confirmed the
causal relationship in the UK Biobank participants, with odds ratios of
1.043 for MMA% and 0.904 for DMA% above versus under median. Serum
β-endorphin was identified as a significant biomarker associated with
the intensity of itch. Consistently, treatment with arsenite in mice
upregulated the level of β-endorphin. The randomized controlled trial
showed that treatment with sublingual naloxone significantly relieved
the intensity of itch in arsenic-exposed participants.
Conclusion: Arsenic exposure is associated with pruritus, and
β-endorphin serves as a biomarker of pruritus. Naloxone relieves
pruritus in patients with [arseniasis](javascript:;).