[Current progress in animal models of arsenic carcinogenesis]

Recent advances in our knowledge of arsenic carcinogenesis include the development of rat or mouse models for all human organs in which inorganic arsenic is known to cause cancer- skin, lung, urinary bladder, liver, and kidney. Tumors can be produced from either promotion of carcinogenesis protocols or from complete carcinogenesis protocols. Experiments with p53 + / - and K6/ODC transgenic mice administered dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) or arsenite have shown some degree of carcinogenic, cocarcinogenic, or promotional activity in skin or bladder. At present, with the possible exception of skin, the arsenic carcinogenesis models in wild-type animals are more highly developed than in transgenic mice. In this review, animal models of arsenic carcinogenesis are presented and discussed animal models of DMA carcinogenesis, transgenic animal models of arsenic carcinogenesis, and methylated metabolites of arsenic.