Integrative and Comparative Biology Advance Access originally published online on October 11, 2006
Integrative and Comparative Biology 2006 46(6):1040-1054; doi:10.1093/icb/icl048
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Arsenic ecotoxicology and innate immunity
Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology, University of Maine Orono, ME 04469, USA
Correspondence: 1E-mail: carolkim{at}maine.edu
Understanding the ecotoxicological effects of arsenic in the environment is paramount to mitigating its deleterious effects on ecological and human health, particularly on the immune response. Toxicological and long-term health effects of arsenic exposure have been well studied. Its specific effects on immune function, however, are less well understood. Eukaryotic immune function often includes both general (innate) as well as specific (adaptive) responses to pathogens. Innate immunity is thought to be the primary defense during early embryonic development, subsequently potentiating adaptive immunity in jawed vertebrates, whereas all other eukaryotes must rely solely on the innate immune response throughout their life cycle. Here, we review the known ecotoxicological effects of arsenic on general health, including immune function, and propose the adoption of zebrafish as a vertebrate model for studying such effects on innate immunity.
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