Arsenic trioxide inhibits the response of primary human B cells to influenza virus A in vitro

Arsenic compounds are common environmental toxicants worldwide and particularly enriched in the Northeast and the Southwestern United States, the Alps, and Bangladesh. Exposure to arsenic is linked with various detrimental health outcomes, including cancer, cognitive decline, and kidney damage. Our group has previously shown that arsenic trioxide alters T cell cytokine production. In the current study, we demonstrate that exposure to arsenic compounds alters B cell function in an in vitro influenza model. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from blood and cultured with arsenic trioxide (As₃O₂) and subsequently challenged with Influenza A virus. B cells showed decreased expression of CD267, surface IgG and CD80 when treated with As₃O₂. Taken together, the data suggest that As₃O₂ affects the activation and surface antibody expression of human peripheral B cells. Overall, this suggests that As₃O₂ exposure could cause impaired humoral immunity.