[Comparison of the total arsenic concentration between saliva and blood after oral administration of sodium arsenite to rats].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the total arsenic concentration between blood and saliva after oral administration of sodium arsenite to SD rats. METHODS: A single oral gavage dose of sodium arsenite (20mg/kg) was administrated to 21 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Then collected blood and saliva samples at 0, 1-2, 4-5, 7-8, 11-12, 17-18, 23-24 hour for total arsenic detection. The blood samples were detected for total arsenic concentration by Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry (AFS-230) and the salivary arsenic were detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). RESULTS: After intake of 20 mg/kg BW sodium arsenite, the total arsenic concentration in blood of SD rats was increased rapidly, and reached the peak value at the 1-2 hour, then descended gradually. However, there was a second peak value at the 7-8 hour. The upward trend of salivary arsenic was more slowly than blood arsenic, and reached the peak value at the 7-8 hour, then descended gradually. The variation tendency of salivary arsenic and blood arsenic with time were basically the same. Besides, there was an obvious positive association between them, the correlation coefficient was 0.678, P < 0.01. CONCLUSION: The excretion of arsenic in saliva was slower than that of blood samples after administrated a single oral gavage dose of sodium arsenite (20 mg/kg) to SD rate, but the metabolism mode of arsenic in saliva was similar with that in blood, suggested that salivary arsenic can also well reflect the exposure level of arsenic in the body.