Insights into the Potential Role of Mercury in Alzheimer’s Disease

Mercury (Hg), which is a non-essential element, is considered a highly toxic pollutant for biological systems even when present at trace levels. Elevated Hg exposure with the growing release of atmospheric pollutant Hg and rising accumulations of mono-methylmercury (highly neurotoxic) in seafood products have increased its toxic potential for humans. This review aims to highlight the potential relationship between Hg exposure and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), based on the existing literature in the field. Recent reports have hypothesized that Hg exposure could increase the potential risk of developing AD. Also, AD is known as a complex neurological disorder with increased amounts of both extracellular neuritic plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, which may also be related to lifestyle and genetic variables. Research reports on AD and relationships between Hg and AD indicate that neurotransmitters such as serotonin, acetylcholine, dopamine, norepinephrine, and glutamate are dysregulated in patients with AD. Many researchers have suggested that AD patients should be evaluated for Hg exposure and toxicity. Some authors suggest further exploration of the Hg concentrations in AD patients. Dysfunctional signaling pathways in AD and Hg exposure appear to be interlinked with some driving factors such as arachidonic acid, homocysteine, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) sulfate, hydrogen peroxide, glucosamine glycans, glutathione, acetyl-L carnitine, melatonin, and HDL. This evidence suggests the need for a better understanding of the relationship between AD and Hg exposure, and potential mechanisms underlying the effects of Hg exposure on regional brain functions. Also, further studies evaluating brain functions are needed to explore the long-term effects of subclinical and untreated Hg toxicity on the brain function of AD patients. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Authors
Bjørklund G.1 , Tinkov A.A. 2, 3, 4 , Dadar M.5 , Rahman M.M.6, 7 , Chirumbolo S.8 , Skalny A.V. 3, 4, 9 , Skalnaya M.G. 3, 4 , Haley B.E.10 , Ajsuvakova O.P. 2, 3, 4 , Aaseth J.11, 12
Publisher
Springer New York LLC
Language
English
Status
Published
Year
2019
Organizations
  • 1 Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, Toften 24, Mo i Rana, 8610, Norway
  • 2 Yaroslavl State University, Yaroslavl, Russian Federation
  • 3 Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Moscow, Russian Federation
  • 4 IM Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation
  • 5 Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
  • 6 Department of Environmental Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 7 Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
  • 8 Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
  • 9 Federal Research Centre of Biological Systems and Agro-technologies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Orenburg, Russian Federation
  • 10 University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
  • 11 Research Department, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Brumunddal, Norway
  • 12 Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Elverum, Norway
Keywords
Alzheimer’s disease; Mercury; Tau; β-Amyloid
Date of creation
19.07.2019
Date of change
19.07.2019
Short link
https://repository.rudn.ru/en/records/article/record/39046/
Share

Other records