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Cited by 53Heavy Metal Exposure and ToxicityMercury impact and mitigation studiesTrace Elements in Health

Inorganic mercury in human astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, corticomotoneurons and the locus ceruleus: Implications for multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative disorders and gliomas.

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Pamphlett, Roger, Kum Jew, Stephen·2018·BioMetals
DOI 10.1007/s10534-018-0124-4PMC PMC6133182
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Abstract

Neurotoxic metals have been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative disorders and brain tumours but studies of the location of heavy metals in human brains are rare. In a man who injected himself with metallic mercury the cellular location of mercury in his brain was studied after 5 months of continuous exposure to inorganic mercury arising from metallic mercury deposits in his organs. Paraffin sections from the primary motor and sensory cortices and the locus ceruleus in the pons were stained with autometallography to detect inorganic mercury and combined with glial fibrillary acidic protein immunohistochemistry to identify astrocytes. Inorganic mercury was found in grey matter subpial, interlaminar, protoplasmic and varicose astrocytes, white matter fibrous astrocytes, grey but not white matter oligodendrocytes, corticomotoneurons and some locus ceruleus neurons. In summary, inorganic mercury is taken up by five types of human brain astrocytes, as well as by cortical oligodendrocytes, corticomotoneurons and locus ceruleus neurons. Mercury can induce oxidative stress, stimulate autoimmunity and damage DNA, mitochondria and lipid membranes, so its location in these CNS cells suggests it could play a role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and glial tumours.

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  • Astrocytes are the primary targets of mercury, contributing to a toxic condition that exacerbates the development of neurodegenerative disorders.

    “In either case, astrocytes are the primary targets of this heavy metal, contributing to a toxic condition that exacerbates the development of severely impacting neurodegenerative disorders (Pamphlett and Kum Jew, 2018).”

    From Interlaminar and varicose-projection astrocytes: toward a new understanding of the primate brain (2024) · cites this paper as Pamphlett and Kum Jew, 2018

    The Discussion says astrocytes selectively accumulate circulating mercury and describes them as an early site of mercury localization. But the paper presents their contribution to neurodegenerative disease as a possibility, not an established exacerbating effect; the Introduction explicitly says no convincing link between mercury and neurological disorders has been established. Page numbers are not available in the supplied copy. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • Only oligodendrocytes in the gray matter, and not those in the white matter, were found with Hg deposits.

    “Notably, only oligodendrocytes in the gray matter, and not those in the white matter, were found with Hg deposits.”

    From Interlaminar and varicose-projection astrocytes: toward a new understanding of the primate brain (2024) · cites this paper as Pamphlett and Kum Jew, 2018

  • Post-mortem immunostaining of a young man who injected himself intravenously with metallic mercury showed that Hg was distributed mainly in all five subclasses of astrocytes: in the perikarya of the glia limitans, the long processes of ILAs, the perikarya of protoplasmic and fibrous astrocytes, and the varicosities of the VP-As.

    “Post-mortem immunostaining of sections of his brain showed that Hg was distributed mainly in all five subclasses of astrocytes: in the perikarya of the glia limitans, the long processes of ILAs, the perikarya of protoplasmic and fibrous astrocytes, and the varicosities of the VP-As.”

    From Interlaminar and varicose-projection astrocytes: toward a new understanding of the primate brain (2024) · cites this paper as Pamphlett and Kum Jew, 2018

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Cited by

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Authors
Pamphlett, R., & Kum Jew, S.
Affiliations
The University of Sydney (AU)
Corresponding author
Pamphlett, Roger
ORCID
Venue
BioMetals
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2018-06-29
Volume
31
Issue
5
Pages
807-819
ISSN
  • 0966-0844 (ISSN-L)
  • 1572-8773
DOI
10.1007/s10534-018-0124-4
PMC
PMC6133182
OpenAlex
W2810027233
Cited by
53
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 2
FWCI
3.83
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • BioMetals (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Mercury impact and mitigation studies
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Trace Elements in Health
Keywords
inorganic mercury, heavy metal neurotoxicity, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, locus coeruleus, autometallography, glial fibrillary acidic protein, multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, glioma, oxidative stress, autoimmunity
MeSH terms
Astrocytes, DNA Damage, Glioma, Humans, Locus Coeruleus, Mercury, Motor Neurons, Multiple Sclerosis, Oligodendroglia, Oxidative Stress, Neurodegenerative Diseases

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