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Cells Jan 2023Mercury is a toxic heavy metal widely dispersed in the natural environment. Mercury exposure induces an increase in oxidative stress in red blood cells (RBCs) through...
Mercury is a toxic heavy metal widely dispersed in the natural environment. Mercury exposure induces an increase in oxidative stress in red blood cells (RBCs) through the production of reactive species and alteration of the endogenous antioxidant defense system. Recently, among various natural antioxidants, the polyphenols from extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), an important element of the Mediterranean diet, have generated growing interest. Here, we examined the potential protective effects of hydroxytyrosol (HT) and/or homovanillyl alcohol (HVA) on an oxidative stress model represented by human RBCs treated with HgCl (10 µM, 4 h of incubation). Morphological changes as well as markers of oxidative stress, including thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) levels, the oxidation of protein sulfhydryl (-SH) groups, methemoglobin formation (% MetHb), apoptotic cells, a reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio, Band 3 protein (B3p) content, and anion exchange capability through B3p were analyzed in RBCs treated with HgCl with or without 10 μM HT and/or HVA pre-treatment for 15 min. Our data show that 10 µM HT and/or HVA pre-incubation impaired both acanthocytes formation, due to 10 µM HgCl, and mercury-induced oxidative stress injury and, moreover, restored the endogenous antioxidant system. Interestingly, HgCl treatment was associated with a decrease in the rate constant for SO uptake through B3p as well as MetHb formation. Both alterations were attenuated by pre-treatment with HT and/or HVA. These findings provide mechanistic insights into benefits deriving from the use of naturally occurring polyphenols against oxidative stress induced by HgCl on RBCs. Thus, dietary supplementation with polyphenols might be useful in populations exposed to HgCl poisoning.
Topics: Humans; Anion Exchange Protein 1, Erythrocyte; Antioxidants; Chlorides; Erythrocytes; Mercuric Chloride; Mercury; Olive Oil; Oxidative Stress
PubMed: 36766766
DOI: 10.3390/cells12030424 -
International Journal of Molecular... Dec 2022Since hundreds of years ago, metals have been recognized as impacting our body's physiology. As a result, they have been studied as a potential cure for many ailments as... (Review)
Review
Since hundreds of years ago, metals have been recognized as impacting our body's physiology. As a result, they have been studied as a potential cure for many ailments as well as a cause of acute or chronic poisoning. However, the link between aberrant metal levels and neuropsychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), is a relatively new finding, despite some evident ASD-related consequences of shortage or excess of specific metals. In this review, we will summarize past and current results explaining the pathomechanisms of toxic metals at the cellular and molecular levels that are still not fully understood. While toxic metals may interfere with dozens of physiological processes concurrently, we will focus on ASD-relevant activity such as inflammation/immune activation, mitochondrial malfunction, increased oxidative stress, impairment of axonal myelination, and synapse formation and function. In particular, we will highlight the competition with essential metals that may explain why both the presence of certain toxic metals and the absence of certain essential metals have emerged as risk factors for ASD. Although often investigated separately, through the agonistic and antagonistic effects of metals, a common metal imbalance may result in relation to ASD.
Topics: Humans; Metals, Heavy; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Heavy Metal Poisoning; Oxidative Stress
PubMed: 36613749
DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010308 -
Forensic Toxicology Jul 2023Poisoning with elemental metals and metallic compounds was much more frequent in the past, and was related, among other things, to lifestyle and the lack of appropriate...
PURPOSE
Poisoning with elemental metals and metallic compounds was much more frequent in the past, and was related, among other things, to lifestyle and the lack of appropriate toxicological diagnostics. One example is mercury, which is being gradually eliminated but still has many different applications as a pure metal or in the form of various compounds. The paper presents a case of suicidal poisoning with mercury chloride (corrosive sublimate).
METHODS
Forensic and toxicological tests including inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were at the Department of Forensic Medicine, PMU in Szczecin.
RESULTS
The patient before death had a range of symptoms such as epigastric pain, vomiting of the stomach contents, central cyanosis with tachycardia, tremors, severe shortness of breath with wheezing, difficulty swallowing, slurred speech, rales in the lungs, and diarrhea. The concentration of mercury measured by ICP-MS was 191 mg/L for a blood sample collected antemortem, and 147 mg/L for a blood sample collected at autopsy. Both concentrations of mercury are regarded as lethal. The post-mortem examination revealed signs of extensive thrombotic necrosis in some internal organs.
CONCLUSIONS
Mercuric chloride has an estimated human fatal dose of between 1 and 4 g. It can produce a range of toxic effects, including corrosive injury, severe gastrointestinal disturbances, acute renal failure, circulatory collapse, and eventual death. The presented case of fatal poisoning with mercury chloride, due to the type of agent used, is now interesting in toxicological practice.
Topics: Humans; Mercuric Chloride; Chlorides; Suicidal Ideation; Mercury Poisoning; Mercury
PubMed: 36564610
DOI: 10.1007/s11419-022-00653-7 -
Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science Jul 2023Thallium poisoning is usually accidental. We present a case of a 51-year-old woman who was evaluated in June 2018 for myalgia, vertigo, asthenia, and abdominal pain....
Thallium poisoning is usually accidental. We present a case of a 51-year-old woman who was evaluated in June 2018 for myalgia, vertigo, asthenia, and abdominal pain. Physical examination revealed temporal-spatial disorientation, jaundice, and asterixis. The laboratory reported the following: bilirubin, 10.3 mg/dL; aspartate transaminase, 78 U/L; alanine transaminase, 194 U/L; albumin, 2.3 g/dL; prothrombin time, 40%; and platelet count, 60,000/mm3. Serology performed for hepatitis A, B, and C; Epstein-Barr virus; cytomegalovirus; and human immunodeficiency virus was negative, and a collagenogram was negative. Physical reevaluation revealed alopecia on the scalp, armpits, and eyebrows; macules on the face; plantar hyperkeratosis; and ulcers on the lower limbs. Tests for lead, arsenic, copper, and mercury were carried out, which were normal; however, elevated urinary thallium (540 µg/g; range, 0.4-10 µg/g) was observed. The patient was treated with ᴅ-penicillamine 1,000 mg/day and recovered her urinary thallium levels were within normal range at annual follow-up. Thallium poisoning is extremely rare and can be fatal in small doses. An adequate clinical approach can facilitate early diagnosis.
PubMed: 36537175
DOI: 10.12701/jyms.2022.00647 -
Radiology Case Reports Feb 2023Artisanal and small-scale gold mining uses mercury to isolate gold from ore. Although uncommon in the United States, it is more common in poor and undeveloped countries....
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining uses mercury to isolate gold from ore. Although uncommon in the United States, it is more common in poor and undeveloped countries. This practice requires heating mercury, which vaporizes into an odorless gas that can be inspired and absorbed into the blood. Inspired mercury vapors place individuals at risk of acute mercury toxicity and its subsequent chronic sequelae. We report a case of incidentally detected mercury foreign bodies in a 56-year-old male with a prior history of accidental mercury poisoning due to prior contact with artisanal gold mining equipment.
PubMed: 36465164
DOI: 10.1016/j.radcr.2022.10.099 -
Heliyon Nov 2022People living in developing countries are exposed to hepato-renal injuries induced by heavy metals like lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) since drinking water...
People living in developing countries are exposed to hepato-renal injuries induced by heavy metals like lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) since drinking water supplied is often polluted with a high concentration of those metals. Accordingly, it is necessary to search for antidotes against heavy metals poisoning. Hence, medicinal plants bearing anti-hepatotoxic properties represent a credible option; and such plant is . However, there is a paucity of knowledge regarding its protective effect on heavy metals-induced hepato-renal toxicity. Thus, this study was designed to assess the protective effect of the hydro-ethanolic stem bark extract of (HKG) against hepato-renal injuries induced by chronic consumption of drinking water containing high contents of Pb, Cd, and Hg; in addition to the investigation of the chemical antioxidant properties of HKG. For the antioxidant assays, HKG was tested as a potential inhibitor of lipid peroxidation, reducer of ferric and phosphomolybdenum, and scavenger of hydroxyl and Diphenyl-Picryl-Hydrazyl radicals. Its protective effects were evaluated by daily co-treating rats with heavy metals solution (10 mL/kg b.w) containing 0.9, 0.58, and 1.13 ppm respectively for Pb, Cd and Hg and HKG (25 or 100 mg/kg b.w) for five consecutive months; and biochemical parameters associated to liver and kidneys functions, oxidative stress and metals bioaccumulation were assessed. HKG displayed a strong antioxidant capacity (IC50/EC50 range 3.95-17.17 μg/mL) correlated to its polyphenols content and comparable to that of Ascorbic acid. Serum levels of alkaline phosphatase, alanine/aspartate aminotransferase, and creatinine; renal and hepatic content of Cd and Pb, malondialdehyde and glutathione, activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase showed the protective effect of HKG, further evidenced by histopathological analysis. Taking together, these results demonstrated that HKG alleviates heavy metals-induced hepato-renal injuries in rats by reducing oxidative stress and metals-bioaccumulation.
PubMed: 36425412
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11685 -
Dental Research Journal 2022From the perspectives of longevity, mechanical performance, and economics, amalgam has long been considered the material of choice, especially for certain types of... (Review)
Review
From the perspectives of longevity, mechanical performance, and economics, amalgam has long been considered the material of choice, especially for certain types of restorations in posterior teeth, including replacement therapy for existing amalgam fillings. In spite of numerous advantages over other filling materials, its use has been decreasing in recent years and the alternative tooth-colored filling materials are increasingly used. There is a trend towards minimal interventional, adhesive, techniques in dentistry, which are based on adhesion to tooth structure by chemical interaction and/or micromechanical retention. At the same time, the quality and durability of alternative materials have improved. Mercury is the metallic element of concern used in dental amalgam. Mercury is a well-documented toxicant, with reasonably well-defined characteristics for the major forms of exposure, involving elemental mercury as well as organic and inorganic mercury compounds. Looking into the kind of practice and its popularity among dentists and the patients in India, even we have to comply with the use of amalgam by implementing the best possible ways to minimize the extent of damage to nature.
PubMed: 36407775
DOI: No ID Found -
International Journal of Molecular... Sep 2022Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive disease that affects millions of adults every year. Major risk factors include diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, which... (Review)
Review
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive disease that affects millions of adults every year. Major risk factors include diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, which affect millions of adults worldwide. CKD is characterized by cellular injury followed by permanent loss of functional nephrons. As injured cells die and nephrons become sclerotic, remaining healthy nephrons attempt to compensate by undergoing various structural, molecular, and functional changes. While these changes are designed to maintain appropriate renal function, they may lead to additional cellular injury and progression of disease. As CKD progresses and filtration decreases, the ability to eliminate metabolic wastes and environmental toxicants declines. The inability to eliminate environmental toxicants such as arsenic, cadmium, and mercury may contribute to cellular injury and enhance the progression of CKD. The present review describes major molecular alterations that contribute to the pathogenesis of CKD and the effects of arsenic, cadmium, and mercury on the progression of CKD.
Topics: Adult; Arsenic; Cadmium; Environmental Exposure; Hazardous Substances; Heavy Metal Poisoning; Humans; Mercury; Metals, Heavy; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic
PubMed: 36232403
DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911105 -
American Journal of Public Health Sep 2022To describe the types of health remedies collected during poisoning investigations in New York City over a 10-year period that were found to contain high levels of...
To describe the types of health remedies collected during poisoning investigations in New York City over a 10-year period that were found to contain high levels of lead, mercury, or arsenic. Between 2010 and 2019, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene collected 584 samples of health remedies during poisoning investigations and store surveys for lead, mercury, or arsenic analysis. There was a significant association between blood lead levels and estimated cumulative daily lead exposures among adult users of Ayurvedic medications. Also, average blood lead levels among adult users were significantly higher than levels among those using other types of non-Ayurvedic health remedies. Ayurvedic medications can contain very high levels of lead, mercury, and arsenic. This underscores the importance of screening for lead, mercury, and arsenic exposures within at-risk populations. The general ease of accessibility to medications raises concerns. There is a need for systemic change that results in primary prevention, that is, removal of the source through policy development and regulatory enforcement in the country of origin. (. 2022;112(S7):S730-S740. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306906).
Topics: Adult; Arsenic; Humans; Lead; Lead Poisoning; Mercury; New York City
PubMed: 36179284
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2022.306906