Abstract
Mercury, in both its elemental and bonded states, is noted for its negative effects on biological organisms. Recent anthropogenic and environmental disasters have spurred numerous comparative studies. These studies attempted to detail the biochemical implications of mercury ingestion, in low, persistent concentrations as well as elevated acute dosages. The studies propose models for mercuric action on healthy cells; which is centered on the element’s disruption of key enzymatic processes at deposition sites. Mercury’s high affinity for the sulfhydryl moieties of enzyme catalytic sites is a common motif for enzyme inactivation. These permanent covalent modifications inactivate the enzyme, thereby inducing devastating effects on an organism’s metabolic functions. Mercury has been shown to be highly nonspecific in its binding to sulfhydryl moieties, and highly varied in terms of how it is encountered by living organisms. This review focuses on mercury’s effects on a wide swath of enzymes, with emphasis on how these alterations deleteriously affect several metabolic pathways.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alnuaimi MM, Saeed IB, Ashraf SS (2012) Effects of various heavy metals on the enzymatic activity of E. coli alkaline phosphatase. Int J Biotech Biochem 8:47–59
Amara IEA, Elshenawy AS, Abdelrady M, El-Kadi AOS (2014) Acute mercury toxicity modulates cytochrome P450, soluble epoxide hydrolase and their associated arachidonic acid metabolites in C57B1/6 mouse heart. Toxicol Lett 226:53–62
Azevedo BF, Furieri LB, Pecanha FM, Wiggers GA, Vassallo PF, Simoes MR, Fiorim J, De Batista PR, Fioresi M, Rossoni L, Stefanon I, Alonso MJ, Salices M, Vassallo DV (2012) Toxic effects of mercury on the cardiovascular and central nervous systems. J Biomed Biotechnol 2012:1–11
Bapu C, Prakash SP, Nivsarkar M (2002) Organelle specific enzyme markers as indicators of methylmercury neurotoxicity and antidotal efficacy in mice. BioMetals 16:279–284
Bernhoft RA (2011) Mercury toxicity and treatment: a review of the literature. J Environ Publ Health 2012:1–10
Bjorklund G (2015) Selenium as an antidote in the treatment of mercury intoxication. Biometals 28:605–614
Carvalho CML, Xu Zhang JL, Arner ESJ, Holmgren A (2011) Effects of selenite and chelating agents on mammalian thioredoxin reductase inhibited by mercury: implications for treatment of mercury poisoning. FASEB J 25:370–380
Chen YA, Chi WC, Huang TL, Lin CY, Nguyeh TTQ, Hsuin YC, Chia LC, Huang HJ (2012) Mercury-induced biochemical and proteomic changes in rice roots. Plant Physio Biochem 55:23–32
Chin-Chan M, Segovia J, Quintanar L, Arcos-Lopez T, Hersh LB, Chow KM, Rodgers DW, Quintanilla-Vega B (2015) Mercury reduces the enzymatic activity of neprilysin in differentiated SH-SY5Y cells. Toxicol Sci 145:128–137
Haase H, Engelhardt G, Hebel G, Rink L (2010) Mercuric ions inhibit mitogen-activated protein kinase dephosphorylation by inducing reactive oxygen species. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 250:78–86
Harisa GI, Mariee AD, Abo-Salem OM, Attiaa SM (2013) Erythrocyte nitric oxide synthase as a surrogate marker for mercury-induced vascular damage: the modulatory effects of Naringin. Environ Toxicol 29:1314–1322
Hong D, Cho SH, Park SJ, Kim SY, Park SB (2013) Hair mercury level in smokers and its influence on blood pressure and lipid metabolism. Environ Toxicol Phar 36:103–107
Kawakami T, Hanao N, Nishiyama K, Kadota Y, Inoue M, Sato M, Suzuki S (2011) Differential effects of cobalt on mercury on lipid metabolism in the white adipose tissue of high-fat diet induced obesity mice. Toxicol Appl Pharm 258:32–42
Li X, Yin D, Li J, Wang R (2014) Protective effects of selenium on mercury induced immunotoxic effects in mice by way of concurrent drinking water exposure. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 67:104–114
Omanwar S, Saidullah B, Ravi K, Fahim M (2013) Vasorelaxant effect of mercury on rat thoracic aorta: the nitric oxide signaling mechanism. Hum Exp Toxicol 33:904–910
Orct T, Lazarus M, Ljubojevic M, Sekovanic A, Sabolic I, Blanusa M (2015) Metallothionein, essential elements and lipid peroxidation in mercury-exposed suckling rats pretreated with selenium. BioMetals 28:701–712
Ralston NVC, Raymond LJ (2010) Dietary selenium’s protective effects against methylmercury toxicity. Toxicol 278:112–123
Ramirez-Bajo MJ, Atauri P, Ortega F, Westerhoff HV, Gelpi JL, Centelles JJ, Cascante M (2014) Effects of cadmium and mercury on the upper part of skeletal muscle glycolysis in mice. PLoS One 9:1–7
Sura P, Adamska PB, Furtak E, Wrobel M (2011) Effect of mercury ions on cysteine metabolism in Xenopus laevis tissue. Comp Biochem Physiol Part C 154:180–186
Tinkov AA, Ajsuuvakova OP, Skalnaya MG, Popva EV, Sintiskii AI, Nemershina ON, Gatiatulina ER, Nikonorov AA, Skalny AV (2015) Mercury and metabolic syndrome: a review of experimental and clinical observations. Biometals 28:231–254
Vassallo DV, Simoes MR, Furieri LB, Fioresi M, Fiorim J, Almeida EA, Angeli JK, Wiggers GA, Pecanha FM, Salaices M (2011) Toxic effects of mercury, lead and gadolinium on vascular reactivity. Braz J Med Biol Res 44:939–946
Wiggers GA, Pecanha FM, Briones AM, Giron JVP, Miguel M, Vassallo DV, Cachofelro V, Alonso MJ, Salaces M (2008) Low mercury concentrations cause oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction in conductance and resistance arteries. Am J Physio Heart Circ Physiol 295:H1033–H1043
Xu FF, Imlay JA (2012) Silver (I), mercury (II), cadmium (II), and zinc (II) target exposed enzymic iron-sulfur clusters when they toxify Escherichia coli. Appl Environ Microbiol 78:3614–3621
Xu X, Mathieu C, Boitard SE, Dairou J, Dupret JM, Agbulut O, Lima FR (2013) Skeletal muscle glycogen phosphorylase is irreversibly inhibited by mercury: molecular, cellular and kinetic aspects. FEBS Lett 588:138–142
Yachiguchi K, Sekiguchi T, Nakano M, Hattori A, Yamamoto M, Kitamura K, Maeda M, Tabuchi Y, Kondo T, Kamauchi H, Nakabayashi H, Srivastav A, Hayakawa K, Sakamoto T, Suzuki N (2014) Effects of inorganic mercury and methylmercury on osteoclasts and osteoblasts in the scales of the marine teleost as a model system of bone. Zool Sci 31:330–337
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ynalvez, R., Gutierrez, J. & Gonzalez-Cantu, H. Mini-review: toxicity of mercury as a consequence of enzyme alteration. Biometals 29, 781–788 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-016-9967-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-016-9967-8