Journal
ACS CHEMICAL NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 1, Issue 12, Pages 810-818Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/cn1000765
Keywords
Methylmercury; methylmercury toxicology; human brain; neurotoxicology; X-ray absorption spectroscopy; X-ray fluorescence imaging
Funding
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research [FRN68849]
- Canada Research Chair
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (Environmental Health Sciences Center) [P30 ES01247]
- Department of Energy, Office of Biological and Environmental Research
- National Institutes of Health, National Center for Research Resources
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Methylmercury is among the most potentially toxic species to which human populations are exposed, both at high levels through poisonings and at lower levels through consumption of fish and other seafood. However, the molecular mechanisms of methylmercury toxicity in humans remain poorly understood. We used synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to study mercury chemical forms in human brain tissue. Individuals poisoned with high levels of methylmercury species showed elevated cortical selenium with significant proportions of nanoparticulate mercuric selenide plus some inorganic mercury and methylmercury bound to organic sulfur. Individuals with a lifetime of high fish consumption showed much lower levels of mercuric selenide and methylmercury cysteineate. Mercury exposure did not perturb organic selenium levels. These results elucidate a key detoxification pathway in the central nervous system and provide new insights into the appropriate methods for biological monitoring.
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