Individual variations in arsenic metabolism in Vietnamese: the association with arsenic exposure and GSTP1 genetic polymorphism

We investigated the association of As exposure and genetic polymorphism in glutathione S -transferase 1 ( GSTP1 ) with As metabolism in 190 local residents from the As contaminated groundwater areas in the Red River Delta, Vietnam. Total As concentrations in groundwater ranged from 56 g l 1 creatinine in urine), but not in the lower exposure group. In the high As exposure group, As III /As V ratios in the urine of wild type of GSTP1 Ile105Val were significantly higher than those of the hetero type, while the opposite trend was observed for M/I. These results suggest that the excretion and metabolism of IA may depend on both the As exposure level and the GSTP1 Ile105Val genotype. This study suggests that association of glutathione S -transferase 1 ( GSTP1 ) Ile105Val polymorphism with As metabolism and excretion may be dependent on As exposure.