Effects of mercury contaminated rice from typical chemical plant area in China on nitric oxide changes and c-fos expression of rats brain.
China is one of countries with the highest mercury production in the world. The Guizhou Province in Southwestern China is currently one of the world's most important mercury production areas. In order to study the neurotoxicity of rice from Qingzhen Chemical Plant area and probe into the signal transduction molecular mechanism of injury in rat brain stimulation by mercury contaminated rice. The rats were exposed to mercury contaminated rice for 20 d. Both of the measurements of NO and NOS were processed according to the protocol of the kit. The effect of Hg contaminated rice on the expression of c-fos mRNA in rat brain and the expression of c-FOS protein in cortex, hippocampus were observed using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunocytochemical methods. The results showed the neural transmitter NO and NOS in brain were significantly change between exposure groups and control group; the mercury polluted rice induced significantly the expression of c-fos mRNA; the c-FOS positive cells in hippocampus and cortex of exposure groups were significant different from control group (p < 0.01). It could be concluded that nitric oxide was involved in mercury contaminated rice induced immediate early gene c-fos expressions in the rat brain. Through food chain, local ecosystem and health of local people iave been deteriorated seriously by mercury. This serious situation will last a long period. In order to alleviate mercury pollution, more work needs to do.
Cheng
Jin-ping
JP
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200240, China. jpcheng@sjtu.edu.cn
Wang
Wen-hua
WH
Jia
Jin-ping
JP
Hu
Wei-xuan
WX
Shi
Wei
W
Lin
Xue-yu
XY
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D002681:China; D017931:DNA Primers; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*; D012275:Oryza / Q000737:chemistry*; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects
D017931:DNA Primers; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D008628:Mercury