Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC)
Background: Exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) through drinking water is currently a serious threat to public health of millions of people worldwide including Bangladesh. Some recent studies have shown that telomere dysfunction is emerging as an important factor in the pathogenesis of different cardiovascular diseases. Arsenic plays significant role on telomere dysfunction by altering the expression of telomere-related genes. In our study, we aimed to investigate the effects of arsenic on hTERT mRNA levels and their combined role in increasing CVD susceptibility.
Materials and Methods: A total of 50 CVD patients who underwent open heart surgery were recruited for this study. Urine, nail and cardiac tissue samples were collected and analyzed for As. Blood samples were quantified for hTERT expression analysis using real-time polymerase chain reaction.