@article{XiongStibollerGlabonjatetal.2020, author = {Xiong, Chan and Stiboller, Michael and Glabonjat, Ronald A. and Rieger, Jaqueline and Paton, Lhiam and Francesconi, Kevin A.}, title = {Transport of arsenolipids to the milk of a nursing mother after consuming salmon fish}, series = {Journal of trace elements in medicine and biology}, volume = {61}, journal = {Journal of trace elements in medicine and biology}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {M{\"u}nchen}, issn = {0946-672X}, doi = {10.1016/j.jtemb.2020.126502}, pages = {6}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Objective: We address two questions relevant to infants' exposure to potentially toxic arsenolipids, namely, are the arsenolipids naturally present in fish transported intact to a mother's milk, and what is the efficiency of this transport. Methods: We investigated the transport of arsenolipids and other arsenic species present in fish to mother's milk by analyzing the milk of a single nursing mother at 15 sampling times over a 3-day period after she had consumed a meal of salmon. Total arsenic values were obtained by elemental mass spectrometry, and arsenic species were measured by HPLC coupled to both elemental and molecular mass spectrometry. Results: Total arsenic increased from background levels (0.1 mu g As kg(-1)) to a peak value of 1.72 lig As kg(-1) eight hours after the fish meal. The pattern for arsenolipids was similar to that of total arsenic, increasing from undetectable background levels (< 0.01 mu g As kg(-1)) to a peak after eight hours of 0.45 mu g As kg(-1). Most of the remaining total arsenic in the milk was accounted for by arsenobetaine. The major arsenolipids in the salmon were arsenic hydrocarbons (AsHCs; 55 \% of total arsenolipids), and these compounds were also the dominant arsenolipids in the milk where they contributed over 90 \% of the total arsenolipids. Conclusions: Our study has shown that ca 2-3 \% of arsenic hydrocarbons, natural constituents of fish, can be directly transferred unchanged to the milk of a nursing mother. In view of the potential neurotoxicity of AsHCs, the effects of these compounds on the brain developmental stage of infants need to be investigated.}, language = {en} }