Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Toxic effects of DDT and methyl mercury on the hepatocytes from Hoplias malabaricus.

Toxicol In Vitro. 2008 Jul 15. [Epub ahead of print]

Toxic effects of DDT and methyl mercury on the hepatocytes from Hoplias malabaricus.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18675336?dopt=AbstractPlus

Departamento de Biologia Celular, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Cx. Postal 19031, CEP 81.531-990 Curitiba, PR, Brazil.

Here, we examined the impact of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and monomethyl mercury (MeHg) on the redox milieu and survival of hepatocytes from Hoplias malabaricus (traíra). After isolation and attachment of cells, we established one control and four treatments: DDT (50nM of DDT), MeHg I (0.25muM of MeHg), MeHg II (2.5muM of MeHg) and DDT*MeHg I (combination of 50nM of DDT and 0.25muM of MeHg). After four days the exposed hepatocytes presented significantly increased damage in lipids (all treatments), proteins (DDT*MeHg I and MeHg II) and reduced cell viability (all treatments). Also the antioxidant enzymes catalase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase were affected. The current data showed that despite of some protective responses, the increased disturbs on membrane lipids and proteins, increased hydrogen peroxide levels, and decreased glutathione concentration and cell viability strongly indicate oxidative stress as the reason of hepatotoxicity due to DDT and MeHg exposure. In addition, DDT and MeHg together had greater effect than alone when G6PDH and glutathione-S-transferase activities and lipids damage were considered. These findings are indicative of hepatotoxicity occurring at realistic concentrations of DDT and MeHg found in Amazonian fish tissues.

PMID: 18675336 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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