Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 1999, 187 (2)

The Effect of Prenatal Methylmercury Exposure on the GSH Level and Lipid Peroxidation in the Fetal Brain and Placenta of Mice

CHIHO WATANABE, YUICHI KASANUMA, YASUSHI DEJIMA1 and HIROSHI SATOH

Environmental Health Sciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575, 1Department of Human Ecology, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kyorin University, Mitaka 181-8611

  • Effect of prenatal exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) on the glutathione (GSH) levels and lipid peroxidation in the fetal brain was examined. Pregnant ICR mice were injected with 3 mgHg/kg of MeHg on gestational day 12, 13 and 14 (G12-14). On the G14 or G17, the fetal brains were removed and their GSH levels and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) levels were determined. On the G17, GSH level of MeHg-treated fetal brain was significantly higher than that of the control brain; the TBARS level showed the similar trend but the difference was not significant. These results indicated that the prenatal MeHg treatment disturbed the normal GSH level in the fetal brain and warranted further investigation on the significance of this GSH perturbation.
    Key words--- methylmercury; mice; glutathione; lipid peroxidation; fetal brain
    © 1999 Tohoku University Medical Press

    Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 1999, 187, 121-126
    Present address for Chiho Watanabe, Department of Human Ecology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. For reprint request, contact C. Watanabe, Ph.D. at the address above.

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