Journal
TOXICOLOGY
Volume 214, Issue 1-2, Pages 57-66Publisher
ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2005.05.022
Keywords
organochalcogens; methylmercury; glutamate; ebselen; cell death
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Alterations of the neurotransmitter release systems in CNS have been reported in a variety of neuropathological processes associated with heavy metal toxicity. Neurotoxic effects of mercurials were investigated in vitro in cerebral cortex slices from young rats. The present study indicates that: (i) the environmental contaminants methylmercury (MeHg) and mercuric chloride (Hg2+) (50 mu M) inhibited the glutamate net uptake from the cerebral cortex of 17-day-old rats; (ii) ebselen (10 mu M) reverted the MeHg-induced inhibition of glutamate net uptake but did not protect the inhibition caused by Hg2+. At same time, we investigated another diorganochalcogenide, diphenyl diselenide (PhSe)(2) and it was observed that this compound did not revert the action of MeHg or Hg2+; (iii) in addition, we observed that exposure of slices to 50 mu M MeHg and Hg2+ for 30 min followed by Trypan blue exclusion assay resulted in 58.5 and 67.5% of staining cells, respectively, indicating a decrease in cell viability. Ebselen protected slices from the deleterious effects of MeHg, but not of Hg2+ on cell viability. Conversely, ebselen did not modify the reduction of MTT caused by MeHg and Hg2+; (iv) the protective effect of ebselen on MeHg-induced inhibition of glutamate net uptake seems to be related to its ability in maintaining cell viability. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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