Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg) exposure is a serious problem of public health, especially in the Amazon. Exposure in riverine populations is responsible for neurobehavioral abnormalities. It was hypothesized that consumption of Amazonian fruits could protect by reducing mercury accumulation. This work analyzed the effects of commercial samples of Euterpe oleracea (EO) for human consumption (10 μL/g) against MeHg i.p. exposure (2.5 mg/Kg), using neurobehavioral (open field, rotarod and pole tests), biochemical (lipid peroxidation and nitrite levels), aging-related (telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) mRNA expression) and toxicokinetic (MeHg content) parameters in mice. Both the pole and rotarod tests were the most sensitive tests accompanied by increased lipid peroxidation and nitrite levels in brains. MeHg reduced TERT mRNA about 50% demonstrating a strong pro-aging effect. The EO intake, similar to that of human populations, prevented all alterations, without changing the mercury content, but avoiding neurotoxicity and premature aging of the Central Nervous System (CNS). Contrary to the hypothesis found in the literature on the possible chelating properties of Amazonian fruits consumption, the effect of EO would be essentially pharmacodynamics, and possible mechanisms are discussed. Our data already support the regular consumption of EO as an excellent option for exposed Amazonian populations to have additional protection against MeHg intoxication.
Highlights
Mercury is a hazardous metal, very useful for industry applications because it is a liquid capable of conducting electricity
In previous works with chronic exposure to methylmercury and EO groups. (MeHg), sense, our hypothesis that evenseems with higher doses of MeHg, themotor four-days in adult male we demonstrated thatismercury to be less present in the cortexexposure and hippocampus in mice used in this work is not sufficient to affect the motor cortex to produce significant changes in spontaneous exploration
As possible differences in telomere length could not be detected because of the short time of exposure, we focused in the Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (TERT) mRNA expression, a sensitive parameter that better reflects the long-term consequences of the exposure
Summary
Mercury is a hazardous metal, very useful for industry applications because it is a liquid (at room temperature) capable of conducting electricity. The organic form, methylmercury (MeHg), is the most toxic mercury compound responsible for episodes of human intoxication [1]. Exposure to MeHg is a serious public health problem throughout the world and especially in the Amazon [1,2]. One of the main anthropogenic sources of mercury in the Amazon is the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), which usually uses mercury to extract the gold particles from the river sediments. The mixture of mercury and gold is heated to separate both metals, with the consequent evaporation of part of the mercury that contaminates the surrounded environment.
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