title: Methylmercury neurotoxicity & antioxidant defenses.
abstract: Neurotoxicity induced by methylmercury (MeHg) increases the formation of reactive radicals and accelerates free radical reactions. This review summarizes recent findings in the MeHg-induced formation of free radicals and the role of oxidative stress in its neurotoxicity. Oxidative stress on CNS can produce damage by several interacting mechanisms, including mitochondrial damage with increase in intracellular free Ca(2+), activation and inhibition of enzymes, release of excitatory amino acids, metallothioneins expression, and microtubule disassembly. The nature of antioxidants is discussed and it is suggested that antioxidant enzymes and others antioxidants molecules may protect the central nervous system against neurotoxicity caused by MeHg.
authors.affiliation: Lab. Neuroquímica Molecular e Celular, Dep. Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil. jlmn@ufpa.br
authors.forename: José Luiz M
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: do Nascimento
authors.forename: Karen Renata M
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Maria Elena
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Crespo-Lopez
authors.forename: Barbarella M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Macchi
authors.forename: Luís Antônio L
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Maués
authors.forename: Maria da Conceição N
authors.initials: Mda C
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
authors.forename: Luiz Carlos L
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.forename: Anderson Manoel
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Herculano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*; D009420:Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds