Alfenim, C.; Bramatti, I.; Vaz, A.; Aschner, M.; Branco, V.; Carvalho, C. Thimerosal and Ethylmercury Elicit Microglia Inflammation. Preprints2023, 2023081449. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202308.1449.v1
APA Style
Alfenim, C., Bramatti, I., Vaz, A., Aschner, M., Branco, V., & Carvalho, C. (2023). Thimerosal and Ethylmercury Elicit Microglia Inflammation. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202308.1449.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Alfenim, C., Vasco Branco and Cristina Carvalho. 2023 "Thimerosal and Ethylmercury Elicit Microglia Inflammation" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202308.1449.v1
Abstract
Thimerosal (TmHg) has been used in thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCV) and various med-icines, although to our knowledge, there are no studies evaluating its effects on microglia. Microglia are a crucial glial component that have important functions in inflammatory diseases, particularly in the Central Nervous System (CNS). They are also considered a key player in neurotoxicity. Furthermore, microglia are responsible for the activation of immune responses and plays an essential role for the maintenance of brain homeostasis. Microglial response is important for the maintenance of CNS immune regulation. Moreover, microglia cells partici-pate in the removal of cellular debris and pathogens, playing an important role as neuroprotectants in several CNS diseases, including neurodegeneration. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of TmHg and its metabolite ethylmercury (EtHg) on microglial cells. Our novel findings demonstrated that microglia are more sensitive to TmHg than to EtHg with EC50 1.4 ± 0.4 μM and 2.3± 0.9 μM for 24h, respectively. The mercury compounds also induced the transcription of pro-inflammatory markers s such as IL-1β; iNOS, and to a lesser extent TNF-α expression. Likewise, the increase in Beclin-1 expression - a protein associated to autophagy - and the number of senescent cells indicate that microglia are activated by TmHg and EtHg. The effects of thimerosal may have different consequences depending on the health status and susceptibility of the populations.
Medicine and Pharmacology, Neuroscience and Neurology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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