A Comparative Study between Sodium Arsenate and Sodium Arsenite Induced Histopathological Changes in Mice

Introduction: Among the various environmental toxicants affecting human health, heavy metal
toxicity has gained increasing significance in recent years, with arsenic toxicity emerging as a major
concern. Among the different compounds of arsenic containing compounds, arsenite and arsenate
are primary contributors to water contamination. This paper compares the histopathological
changes induced by sodium arsenate and arsenite in BALB/c mice.
Materials and methods: Mice were categorized into five distinct groups - group 1-5. Group 1
functioned as the untreated control, whereas Groups 2 and 3 were administered sodium arsenate
at respective doses of 6 mg/kg and 12 mg/kg of body weight. Meanwhile, groups 4 and 5 received
sodium arsenite at doses of 10 mg/kg and 15 mg/kg body weight, respectively, over a period of
28 days.
Result: No statistically significant changes were detected in the histopathological alterations in
various organs of both the sodium arsenate-treated groups. However, the sodium arsenite-treated
groups exhibited notable degenerative changes in the brain, damage to renal tubules, stomach
erosion, and depletion of germ cells in the testis.
Conclusion: On the basis of above observations, it can be concluded that between the two forms
of arsenic, compared to sodium arsenate, sodium arsenite is more toxic than sodium arsenate,
leading to more pronounced histopathological alterations in various organs.