title: Methylmercury-induced neurotoxicity in cerebral neuron culture is blocked by antioxidants and NMDA receptor antagonists.
abstract: The neurotoxic effects of methylmercury on cerebral neuron cultures derived from neonatal mouse were studied. Exposure of cerebral neurons to methylmercury chloride resulted in significant cell damage and death in a time-dependent manner in cerebral neuron cultures. The methylmercury neurotoxicity was blocked by oxygen radical scavengers such as glutathione, catalase, selenium, and cysteine. Antagonists of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, including MK-801 (a non-competitive NMDA antagonist), D-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV) (a competitive NMDA antagonist), and 7-chlorokynurenic acid (an antagonist at the glycine site associated with the NMDA receptor), similarly blocked methylmercury-induced neurotoxicity in cerebral neuron cultures. These results indicate that both oxygen radicals and excitotixic amino acids are involved in the methylmercury-induced neurotoxicity of cerebral neuron cultures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Y T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: S U
authors.initials: SU
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002374:Catalase / Q000494:pharmacology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects*; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate / Q000494:pharmacology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D005978:Glutathione / Q000494:pharmacology; D007736:Kynurenic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate; D002374:Catalase; D005978:Glutathione; D007736:Kynurenic Acid; C004925:methylmercuric chloride; C057013:7-chlorokynurenic acid