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Platelet oxygen consumption as a peripheral blood marker of brain energetics in a mouse model of severe neurotoxicity

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Abstract

Interactions of chemicals with cerebral cellular systems are often accompanied by similar changes involving components in non-neural tissues. On this basis, indirect strategies have been developed to investigate neural cell function parameters by methods using accessible cells, including platelets and/or peripheral blood lymphocytes. Therefore, here it was investigated whether peripheral blood markers may be useful for assessing the central toxic effects of methylmercury (MeHg). For this purpose, we investigated platelet mitochondrial physiology in a well-established mouse model of MeHg-induced neurotoxicity, and correlated this peripheral activity with behavioural and central biochemical parameters. In order to characterize the cortical toxicity induced by MeHg (20 and 40 mg/L in drinking water, 21 days), the behavioral parameter namely, short-term object recognition, and the central mitochondrial impairment assessed by measuring respiratory complexes I-IV enzyme activities were determined in MeHg-poisoned animals. Neurotoxicity induced by MeHg exposure provoked compromised cortical activity (memory impairment) and reduced NADH dehydrogenase, complex II and II-III activities in the cerebral cortex. These alterations correlated with impaired systemic platelet oxygen consumption of intoxicated mice, which was characterized by reduced electron transfer activity and uncoupled mitochondria. The data brought here demonstrated that impaired systemic platelet oxygen consumption is a sensitive and non-invasive marker of the brain energy deficits induced by MeHg poisoning. Finally, brain and platelets biochemical alterations significantly correlated with cognitive behavior in poisoned mice. Therefore, it could be proposed the use of platelet oxygen consumption as a peripheral blood marker of brain function in a mouse model MeHg-induced neurotoxicity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil

    Roberta de Paula Martins, Viviane Glaser, Débora da Luz Scheffer, Priscila Maximiliana de Paula Ferreira, Marcelo Farina & Alexandra Latini

  2. Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Clóvis Milton Duval Wannmacher

  3. Departamento de Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil

    Paulo Alexandre de Oliveira & Rui Daniel Prediger

  4. Laboratório de Bioenergética e Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário – Córrego Grande, Bloco C-201/214, Florianópolis, SC, 88040-900, Brazil

    Alexandra Latini

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  1. Roberta de Paula Martins
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  2. Viviane Glaser
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  4. Priscila Maximiliana de Paula Ferreira
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Correspondence to Alexandra Latini.

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de Paula Martins, R., Glaser, V., da Luz Scheffer, D. et al. Platelet oxygen consumption as a peripheral blood marker of brain energetics in a mouse model of severe neurotoxicity. J Bioenerg Biomembr 45, 449–457 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10863-013-9499-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10863-013-9499-7

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