Exposure to low dose of cinnabar (a naturally occurring mercuric sulfide (HgS)) caused neurotoxicological effects in offspring mice.

Abstract

Cinnabar, a naturally occurring mercuric sulfide (HgS), has long been used in Chinese mineral medicine for more than 2000 years. Although mercury is well-known for its toxicity, whether cinnabar induces neurotoxicity, especially in infants and children, is unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore the neurotoxic effects of low-dose of cinnabar (10 mg/kg/day) on developing mice. The results revealed neurobehavioral defects in F1-C-Cin group, which were associated with Hg accumulation, increased NO(x) levels in whole blood, and Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase activities in brain tissues. F1- and F2-Cin-V groups were found to increase brain Hg contents and prominent neurobehavioral defects compared with F1-C-V group, suggesting that the fetal brain was more susceptible to irreversible effects for cinnabar-induced damage. Moreover, F1- and F2-Cin-Cin groups had severely neurobehavioral dysfunctions, closely correlated with the further alteration of NO(x) levels and Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase activities than F1- and F2-C-Cin groups. Effects in F2-Cin-Cin group were more significant than those in F1-Cin-Cin group. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that exposure to low-dose of cinnabar during the perinatal and developmental stages results in irreversible and severe injuries of the neurotoxicity in offspring, and NO(x) and Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase activities may exist potential and useful biomarkers for neurotoxicity-induced by low-doses of mercuric compounds.

• Authors: Chun-Fa Huang, Chuan-Jen Hsu, Shing-Hwa Liu, Shoei-Yn Lin-Shiau
• Journal: Journal of biomedicine & biotechnology (J Biomed Biotechnol) Vol. 2012 Pg. 254582 ( 2012) ISSN: 1110-7251 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 22888198 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Mercury Compounds
• Neurotoxins
• Nitric Oxide
• Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase
• Mercury
• cinnabar

Topics

• Animals
• Animals, Newborn
• Auditory Threshold (drug effects)
• Behavior, Animal (drug effects)
• Body Weight (drug effects)
• Brain (drug effects, enzymology)
• Female
• Hearing (drug effects)
• Litter Size
• Locomotion (drug effects)
• Male
• Mercury (blood)
• Mercury Compounds (administration & dosage, toxicity)
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred ICR
• Nervous System (drug effects, pathology)
• Neurotoxins (toxicity)
• Nitric Oxide (blood)
• Pregnancy
• Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects (blood, pathology, physiopathology)
• Sleep (drug effects)
• Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase (metabolism)
• Time Factors