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Oxidative Stress Induced by 30 Days of Mercury Exposure Accelerates Hypertension Development in Prehypertensive Young SHRs

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Abstract

Mercury is considered a risk factor for the development of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. We investigated whether the effects of mercury exposure on haemodynamic parameters of young Wistar rats and prehypertensive SHRs might alter the time course of hypertension development. Young (4 weeks) male Wistar rats and SHRs were randomly assigned to four groups: untreated Wistar rats (Wistar Ct), Wistar rats exposed to mercury chloride for 30 days (Wistar Hg), untreated SHRs (SHR Ct) and SHRs exposed to mercury chloride (SHR Hg) for 30 days. Non-invasive and invasive arterial pressures were measured to investigate pressure reactivity; nitrite/nitrate levels, ACE activity, and lipid peroxidation were measured in plasma. The systolic blood pressure (SBP) of the Wistar rat groups did not change but increased in the SHRs from the second week to the last week. Hg exposure accelerated the increase in the SBP of SHRs. L-NAME administration increased SBP and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in all groups, but this increase was smaller in SHRs exposed to Hg. A decrease in plasma nitrite and nitrate levels in the SHR Hg group suggested that mercury reduced NO bioavailability. Tempol-reduced blood pressure suggesting that the superoxide anion played a role in the marked increase in this parameter. These findings provide evidence that Hg exposure might activate mechanisms to accelerate hypertension development, including a reduction in NO bioavailability. Therefore, predisposed individuals under mercury exposure are at greater risk from an enhanced development of hypertension.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by Grants from CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) 302968/2016-4 and PRONEX-CNPq/FAPES (Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Espírito Santo) 80598773. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiological Sciences, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Vitória, ES, CEP 29040-091, Brazil

    Graziele Zandominegue Ronchetti, Maylla Ronacher Simões, Ingridy Reinholz Grafites Schereider, Marcos André Soares Leal, Alessandra Simão Padilha & Dalton Valentim Vassallo

  2. Cardiovascular Physiology Laboratory, Federal University of Pampa, BR 472, Km 592, Uruguaiana, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil

    Giulia Alessandra Wiggers Peçanha

  3. School of Science of Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Vitória- EMESCAM, Vitória, ES, CEP 29045-402, Brazil

    Dalton Valentim Vassallo

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  1. Graziele Zandominegue Ronchetti
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All experimental procedures were performed in accordance with the guidelines for the care and handling of laboratory animals recommended by the Brazilian Societies of Experimental Biology, and the study protocols were previously approved by the Ethics Committee in Animal Research of the Federal University of Espirito Santo (22/2018 CEUA-UFES).

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Ronchetti, G.Z., Simões, M.R., Schereider, I.R.G. et al. Oxidative Stress Induced by 30 Days of Mercury Exposure Accelerates Hypertension Development in Prehypertensive Young SHRs. Cardiovasc Toxicol 22, 929–939 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12012-022-09769-z

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