• Zheyu Zhang, Ruozheng Pi, Jieya Luo, Ji Liu, Aihua Zhang, and Baofei Sun.
• College of Basic Medical, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province, China.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 Dec 16; 101 (50): e32352e32352.

BackgroundPrevious studies have reported controversial results on levels of inflammatory cytokines in patients with arsenic exposure. This study aims to evaluate the associations between arsenic exposure and inflammatory cytokines and C-reaction protein (CRP).MethodsWe searched the databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and China national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI) for studies reporting levels of cytokines and CRP in patients with arsenic exposure compared to the controls. The retrieval time was from January 2000 to September 2022.Results13 observational studies involving 1665 arsenic exposed and 1091 unexposed individuals were included. Among these studies, 6 from China, 4 from India, 2 from Bangladesh and 1 from Turkey. Our result showed that interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and IL-12 levels were significantly higher in arsenic-exposed individuals compared to the control group, IL-2 level was significantly lower, and Tumor necrosis factor-α, Interferon-γ, CRP, and IL-10 levels were not changed. After sensitivity analyses, tumor necrosis factor-α and Interferon-γ levels were significantly higher in arsenic-exposed individuals compared to the control group. High heterogeneity was detected in most studies.ConclusionMany cytokines (such as IL-6, IL-8, and IL-12) have altered in individuals with arsenic exposure, this indicates arsenic exposure could trigger the cell-mediated inflammatory response. Regular examining immune function (such as inflammatory cytokines) in individuals with the risk of arsenic exposure is important to human health.Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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