Investigação dos efeitos protetores do selenito de sódio sobre a neurotoxicidade do metilmercúrio em diferentes períodos de desenvolvimento de ratos wistar

Abstract

Exposure to mercury compounds results in oxidative damages, seriously affecting the central nervous system both in humans and in experimental models. We used Wistar rats at different stages of neuro-development in order to investigate potential protective effects of selenium (sodium selenite) in an in vivo model of exposure to methylmercury (MeHg). Subjects (age groups P1 and P21) were given lactational and orally, respectively: vehicle, Selenium (5ppm), MeHg (10 ppm) or selenium (5 ppm) plus MeHg (10 ppm) for 20 and 10 days respectively (n = 8 per group). After treatment, the rats were submitted to the following behavioral tests: open field and Morris water maze to examine motor deficits and memory/learning, respectively. After intracardiac perfusion we performed immunohistochemistry for Neu-N. In order to evaluate possible deleterious effects in neuronal populations, we counted neurons in the hippocampus (polymorphic layer). As a result, we found significant reduction in locomotor activity of neonates (P1) when exposed to MeHg. Besides, groups exposed to MeHg (alone or in association with selenium) showed learning/memory deficits. P21 animals treated with MeHg showed increase in locomotor activity, effect abolished by concomitant administration of selenium. When submitted to water maze, only subjects in the control and selenium groups showed reduction of the time latency. As assessed by stereological counting, we noticed reduction in the number of hippocampal neurons only in P21 animals exposed to MeHg. Combined, our results showed that MeHg exposure produces age-dependent behavioral effects. Also, despite other findings in the literature, under our experimental conditions administration of selenium was only able to interfere with motor deficits in older animals, besides not being able to interfere with memory/learning deficits nor the MeHg-induced neuronal death. Possible mechanisms associated with these partial protective properties of selenium in the later stages of neural development have yet to be elucidated.