**5.1 Arsenic induced reproductive toxicity in human**

A study was carried out among the population of Dhaka, Bangladesh; consisting of a total number of 192 participants (married women of reproductive age 15–49 years). From the study, it was observed that the women exposed

#### **Figure 1.**

*Schematic representation of the pathways through which arsenic induces male reproductive toxicity. GPx4: glutathione peroxidase, NASP: nuclear autoantigenic sperm protein, HSD11B1: 11*β*-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, HSP4AL: heat shock 70 kDa protein 4-like, CABS1: calcium-binding and spermatid-specific protein 1, RBP1: retinol-binding protein 1, SAFB1: scaffold attachment factor B1, DNAJA1: DNAJ homolog subfamily a member 1, TRIM 28: transcription intermediary factor 1-beta, YBX3: Y-box binding protein 3, GPD2: glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, mitochondrial, PRKACA: cAMP-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha, VDAC3: voltage-dependent anion-selective channel protein 3, ACE: angiotensinconverting enzyme, SMCP: sperm mitochondrial-associated cysteine-rich protein and SPACA1: sperm acrosome membrane-associated protein 1.*

**Figure 2.**

*Schematic overview of arsenic induced reproductive toxicity in female.*

to arsenic-contaminated drinking water (>0.05 mg/L) had adverse pregnancy outcomes *viz.* abortion, stillbirth, and preterm birth at a much higher rate than the non-exposed (<0.02 mg/L) groups [17]. Another study conducted on 202 married women in West Bengal, India showed that pregnant women exposed to arsenic-contaminated drinking water had a six times higher rate of stillbirth than compared to non-exposed pregnant women [18]. According to a cohort study done in Bangladesh, comprising of 1458 women, it was observed that arsenic exposure is directly proportional to the adverse reproductive and maternal health of the exposed women [19]. In the year 2008, a group of researchers reported that drinking arsenic-contaminated water by the woman was associated with a higher risk of stillbirth. In this study, the total number of cases studied was *n* = 30,984 and it was conducted in the rural area of Bangladesh [20]. According to a report, there is an increase in the rate of arsenic methylation effectiveness and total arsenic content of urine in pregnant women (*n* = 1613) of Bangladesh. The samples (urine) were collected at two prenatal time periods: first at 4–16 weeks and the second at 21–37 weeks of pregnancy [21]. Arsenic is a well-known toxicant and a prospective study was taken up from two studies conducted in Matlab, Bangladesh. This study included 809 girls who participated at the age of their menarche and had a previous report of prenatal exposure to arsenic via the tube well water that was used by

*Impact of Arsenic on Reproductive Health DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.101141*

their mother during pregnancy. The outcome of the study is that girls prenatally exposed to arsenic have delayed menarche, indicating endocrine disruption that eventually may impair the total reproductive system [22]. Arsenic exerts its toxicity by following different pathways as detailed in **Figures 1** and **2**.
