Potencial neuroprotetor da atividade física em populações ribeirinhas da Amazônia expostas ao mercúrio

Abstract

Mercury is a highly toxic metal and is among the three substances with the greatest potential threat to human health. Its organic form, methylmercury, is particularly dangerous to human health due to its ability to easily cross biological barriers. The brain is a critical target for methylmercury, where it can cause neurological disorders, including motor, visual, auditory, behavioral, and cognitive deficits. Glial cells are closely involved in the mechanisms mediating such disorders and can either protect or damage the central nervous system (CNS), depending on the context. Moreover, no pharmacological treatment has proven effective against mercury intoxication to date, and literature has shown that both physical exercise and physical activity are capable of modulating glial aspects involved in the pathophysiology common to various neurological conditions and methylmercury intoxication. Thus, a potentially therapeutic and non-pharmacological approach, such as physical exercise – and even physical activity – would be particularly suitable for vulnerable populations who are economically, socially, and geographically disadvantaged, such as the riverine communities of the Amazon, who are chronically exposed to methylmercury through the consumption of contaminated fish. This study aims to assess whether physical activity profiles can influence the symptomatology of methylmercury intoxication in riverside residents of the Tucuruí Lake region. Interviews were conducted to obtain a profile of physical activity and self-reported neurological symptoms, and total mercury was measured from hair samples. Our results point to a possible and complex relationship between hair mercury levels and physical activity, suggesting that physical exercise may be a viable alternative to be included in daily life.