Mitosis and Cancer: Arsenic and its Influence.

Mitosis is known as a process of cell division that generates two daughter cells that are practically identical to the parent cell, and which are essential for growth, regeneration, and maintenance of tissues. It occurs in somatic cells and is composed of five main phases: prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. In summary, mitosis is a form of eukaryotic cell division in which there is a necessary guarantee that each daughter cell receives the same number of chromosomes as the original cell.

In prophase, chromosomes begin to condense and become visible, while the nuclear envelope starts to disintegrate. In prometaphase, microtubules attach to the chromosomes through the centromeres. In metaphase, the chromosomes align at the center of the cell, forming what is called the metaphase plate. In anaphase, sister chromatids are separated and pulled toward opposite poles of the cell. Finally, in telophase, the chromosomes decondense and two new cell nuclei emerge. There is also another phase to be considered: cytokinesis. In this phase, the cytoplasm is divided, ultimately forming two complete daughter cells.

It is important to highlight that this process is never entirely exact for organic systems, because time is an antagonistic agent. Aging is the main cause of errors in the mitotic process, and what is perfect in theory does not reproduce in reality. If it were otherwise, we would be eternal. Toxic substances, the absence of nutrients, or their imbalance can and do generate daughter cells that are not identical to the parent cell.

This is where the problem of arsenic comes into play. Mitosis is highly regulated by proteins called cyclins and kinases, and errors in mitosis—which almost always occur—can lead to the formation of cells with an incorrect number of chromosomes, which is strongly associated with diseases such as cancer. Studies propose that arsenic, present in the body, interacts with the phosphates that constitute chromosomes and the proteins mentioned above, causing severe changes in the chemical geometry of these substances. This leads to serious errors in cell reproduction processes, resulting in damaged cells that later also reproduce, giving rise to cancerous tissue.

Thus, it can be stated clearly and with high precision that arsenic directly interferes with the process of mitosis when it causes DNA damage and consequently deregulates cell division—a relationship well documented in toxicological and genetic studies. The mechanisms of arsenic interference still need further study, but what is known is that they include: DNA damage, oxidative stress, inhibition of regulatory proteins, epigenetic alterations, and interaction with phosphates.

Arsenic salts, in relation to DNA, can produce strand breaks, mutations, and repair failures. In relation to oxidative stress, they can generate free radicals that affect organelles. Regarding regulatory proteins, cyclins and kinases are disrupted, deregulating the cell cycle. With respect to epigenetic alteration, genetic expression is modified without altering the DNA sequence. In the interaction with phosphates, substitution occurs in cellular reactions, impairing signaling and division.

The production of cancerous cells occurs because arsenic affects the mitotic cycle: cells with modified DNA can literally escape cell death, known as apoptosis. As a result, these cells continue to divide, mutations accumulate, and tumors form. Particularly, the trivalent form of arsenic is very concerning, because this form is rapidly absorbed by cells and interacts with nuclear proteins, leading to genomic instability.

What is known is that the presence of arsenic in the organic system can trigger or accelerate the development of cancer. This occurs due to interference in the mechanisms that regulate mitosis. This chemical element acts as a mutagenic and epigenetic agent, compromising DNA integrity and the regulation of the cell cycle. Chronic exposure, even at low levels, represents a significant risk to human health