2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Neurobehavioral assessment of combined exposure to methylmercury and PCB in mice
| Project/Area Number |
17390167
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Hygiene
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| Research Institution | Tohoku University |
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Principal Investigator |
NAKAI Kunihiko Tohoku University, Graduate school of Medicine, Associate Professor, 大学院医学系研究科, 助教授 (00291336)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
SATOH Hiroshi Tohoku University, Graduate School of Medicine, Professor, 大学院医学系研究科, 教授 (40125571)
KAMEO Satomi Tohoku University, Graduate School of Medicine Research Associate, 大学院医学系研究科, 助手 (40312558)
SUGAWARA Norio Hirosaki University, school of Medicihe, Research Associate, 医学部, 助手 (80431435)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2005 – 2006
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| Keywords | methylmercury / PCBs / environmental pollutant / combined exposure / neurobehavioral development / perinatal exposure |
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| Research Abstract |
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and Methylmercury (MeHg) are environmental pollutants that cause neurobehavioral deficits in human. Because the exposures to MeHg and PCBs occur through fish-eating, the interaction of PCB and MeHg should be considered to clarify the exact adverse effects. We therefore investigated the effects of perinatal exposure to MeHg and PCBs in mice. Female mice (C57BL/6Cr) were divided into four groups by the exposures : 1) vehicle control, 2) MeHg alone, 3) PCBs alone, 4) MeHg + PCBs. The MeHg exposed groups fed diet containing 5 ppm MeHg (as Hg) beginning 4 weeks prior to mating, and through pregnancy and lactation. The PCBs exposed groups received a commercial mixture of PCBs (Aroclor 1254) at a dose of 18 mg/kg body-weight in 10 ml/kg corn oil by gavage every 3 days from 5 days after breeding and continued through postnatal day (PND)20. Before weaning, assessment of eye opening revealed the interactive effect between Mel-1g and PCBs on PND12. We also observed the delays of grasp reflex on PND12 and 14. When the offspring were at 8 weeks olds, the group exposed to PCBs alone showed increasing number of defecation and urination in an open field test. Analysis of the latency revealed the interaction between two exposures. Treatment with MeHg decreased the distance and interacted with PCBs exposure. Water maze test shows that treatment with MeHg prolonged the time to reach the platform, but this effect did not interact with PCBs exposure. Spontaneous locomotion activity was not affected by exposure at 9 weeks olds. These behavioral changes did not accompany with any histopathological changes in brains. These findings showed that perinatal combined exposure to MeHg and PCBs does not produce additive or synergistic effects.
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Research Products
(4 results)
