# Arsenic's effects on the intestinal stem cell niche

> **NIH NIH R15** · CLEMSON UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $441,662

## Abstract

7. Project Summary/Abstract
Arsenic is a contaminant found in drinking water and food, resulting in the exposure of millions of people to
concentrations above the current US EPA and WHO drinking water standard. Evidence from epidemiological
studies has demonstrated that in utero, childhood, and adult exposure to arsenic is associated with reduced
birth weight and weight gain, although the mechanisms responsible are not well understood. In addition, even
though ingestion is the main route of arsenic absorption, almost nothing is known about the effects of arsenic
on the small intestine itself.
Our lab has conducted pilot studies exposing intestinal organoids to arsenic, and found that exposure reduces
stem cell differentiation and inhibits production of specific adult cell types. Thus, the goal of this application in
to assess the time course, the persistence of the phenotype, the mechanisms behind this loss of differentiation,
and whether a similar loss of differentiation happens to the intestinal epithelium in vivo.
In the first aim, we determine the dose-response, assess whether arsenic and its mono- and di-methylated
metabolites are equivalently toxic, and assess the mechanisms responsible for aberrant differentiation,
including changes in apoptosis, proliferation, and cell signaling. In the second and third aim, we will ascertain
whether intestinal niche function, stem cell differentiation, and function is impaired during an in vivo arsenic
exposure. We will also study the role of mesenchymal cells in maintaining the niche. These studies will further
our understanding of how arsenic alters cellular differentiation and reduces growth. More importantly, our
research will determine whether exposed populations can ever ‘recover’ from an arsenic exposure

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10114495
- **Project number:** 1R15ES031766-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** LISA J BAIN
- **Activity code:** R15 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $441,662
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-02-01 → 2025-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10114495

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10114495, Arsenic's effects on the intestinal stem cell niche (1R15ES031766-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10114495. Licensed CC0.

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