Give Back Takeaways
During the summer of 2024, I had the opportunity to contribute to a chapter on arsenic species extraction as part of a project with NSERC USRA at the University of Alberta. The research focuses on the chemical reactivity and toxicity of arsenic, emphasizing methods for extracting arsenic from biological specimens to assess exposure and health risks. This work is not only vital for environmental sustainability, as it helps better understand arsenic contamination in ecosystems, but it also serves as a give-back project aimed at improving human and environmental health.
I had the pleasure of working in Dr. X. Chris Le’s lab in the Division of Analytical Toxicology and Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, and I am continuing my research there as part of my master’s. This experience has been instrumental in shaping my research interests and approach, particularly in the context of analytical toxicology and environmental health. It’s been incredibly rewarding to contribute to projects with real-world implications for public safety and environmental protection.
Enzyme digestion for speciation of arsenic
Gursevak Uppal, Kayla LaPorte, Xiufen Lu, X. Chris Le
Chapter published in Reference Module in Chemistry, Molecular Sciences and Chemical Engineering
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-15978-7.00110-7
Abstract
The chemical reactivity and toxicity of arsenic vary greatly with the chemical species of arsenic. Determination of arsenic species in biological specimens provides quantitative data necessary for the assessment of arsenic exposure and health effects. Extraction of arsenic species from biological specimens is a critical first step, followed by quantitative determination, commonly using high-performance liquid chromatography separation and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection. The most common technique for the extraction of arsenic species uses a mixture of methanol and water as the extraction solvent. Mild extraction conditions are necessary to maintain the integrity of arsenic species originally present in the specimens, although extraction efficiencies could be suboptimal under these mild conditions. Enzymatic digestion of biological specimens can help improve extraction efficiency. Various groups of enzymes, such as proteases, lipases, and carbohydrases, as well as combinations of these enzymes, have been used to assist extraction of arsenic species from fish tissues, chicken meat, rice, plant materials, cell lysates, and human blood, saliva, hair and nails. The use of sonication or microwave digestion, in combination with enzyme digestion, further improves the extraction efficiency.