Biomarkers of Adverse Response to Mercury: Histopathology versus Thioredoxin Reductase Activity
Exposure to mercury is normally assessed by measuring its accumulation in hair, blood or urine. Currently, the biomarkers of effect that have been proposed for mercurials, such as coproporphyrines or oxidative stress markers, are not sensitive enough and lack specificity. Selenium and selenoproteins...
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doaj-b28f0bcb657440699b607f68fdabb3952020-11-25T02:34:34ZengHindawi LimitedJournal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology1110-72431110-72512012-01-01201210.1155/2012/359879359879Biomarkers of Adverse Response to Mercury: Histopathology versus Thioredoxin Reductase ActivityVasco Branco0Paula Ramos1João Canário2Jun Lu3Arne Holmgren4Cristina Carvalho5Research Institute for Medicines and Pharmaceutical Sciences (iMed.UL), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon, Avenue Professor Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisbon, PortugalAquaculture Unit, Institute for Sea and Atmospheric Research (IPIMAR/IPMA), Avenue Brasília, 1440-006 Lisbon, PortugalMarine Environment and Biodiversity Unit, Institute for Sea and Atmospheric Research (IPIMAR/IPMA), Avenue Brasília, 1440-006 Lisbon, PortugalDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, SwedenResearch Institute for Medicines and Pharmaceutical Sciences (iMed.UL), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon, Avenue Professor Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisbon, PortugalExposure to mercury is normally assessed by measuring its accumulation in hair, blood or urine. Currently, the biomarkers of effect that have been proposed for mercurials, such as coproporphyrines or oxidative stress markers, are not sensitive enough and lack specificity. Selenium and selenoproteins are important targets for mercury and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) in particular was shown to be very sensitive to mercury compounds both in vitro and in vivo. In this study we looked into the relation between the inhibition of thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) activity and histopathological changes caused by exposure to mercurials. Juvenile zeabra-seabreams were exposed to Hg2+ or MeHg for 28 days and histopathological changes were analyzed in the liver and kidney as well as TrxR activity. Both mercurials caused histopathological changes in liver and kidney, albeit Hg2+ caused more extensive and severe lesions. Likewise, both mercurials decreased TrxR activity, being Hg2+ a stronger inhibitor. Co-exposure to Hg2+ and Se fully prevented TrxR inhibition in the liver and reduced the severity of lesions in the organ. These results show that upon exposure to mercurials, histopathological alterations correlate with the level of TrxR activity and point to the potential use of this enzyme as a biomarker of mercury toxicity.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/359879 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Vasco Branco Paula Ramos João Canário Jun Lu Arne Holmgren Cristina Carvalho |
spellingShingle |
Vasco Branco Paula Ramos João Canário Jun Lu Arne Holmgren Cristina Carvalho Biomarkers of Adverse Response to Mercury: Histopathology versus Thioredoxin Reductase Activity Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology |
author_facet |
Vasco Branco Paula Ramos João Canário Jun Lu Arne Holmgren Cristina Carvalho |
author_sort |
Vasco Branco |
title |
Biomarkers of Adverse Response to Mercury: Histopathology versus Thioredoxin Reductase Activity |
title_short |
Biomarkers of Adverse Response to Mercury: Histopathology versus Thioredoxin Reductase Activity |
title_full |
Biomarkers of Adverse Response to Mercury: Histopathology versus Thioredoxin Reductase Activity |
title_fullStr |
Biomarkers of Adverse Response to Mercury: Histopathology versus Thioredoxin Reductase Activity |
title_full_unstemmed |
Biomarkers of Adverse Response to Mercury: Histopathology versus Thioredoxin Reductase Activity |
title_sort |
biomarkers of adverse response to mercury: histopathology versus thioredoxin reductase activity |
publisher |
Hindawi Limited |
series |
Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology |
issn |
1110-7243 1110-7251 |
publishDate |
2012-01-01 |
description |
Exposure to mercury is normally assessed by measuring its accumulation in hair, blood or urine. Currently, the biomarkers of effect that have been proposed for mercurials, such as coproporphyrines or oxidative stress markers, are not sensitive enough and lack specificity. Selenium and selenoproteins are important targets for mercury and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) in particular was shown to be very sensitive to mercury compounds both in vitro and in vivo. In this study we looked into the relation between the inhibition of thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) activity and histopathological changes caused by exposure to mercurials. Juvenile zeabra-seabreams were exposed to Hg2+ or MeHg for 28 days and histopathological changes were analyzed in the liver and kidney as well as TrxR activity. Both mercurials caused histopathological changes in liver and kidney, albeit Hg2+ caused more extensive and severe lesions. Likewise, both mercurials decreased TrxR activity, being Hg2+ a stronger inhibitor. Co-exposure to Hg2+ and Se fully prevented TrxR inhibition in the liver and reduced the severity of lesions in the organ. These results show that upon exposure to mercurials, histopathological alterations correlate with the level of TrxR activity and point to the potential use of this enzyme as a biomarker of mercury toxicity. |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/359879 |
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