Affiliations: School of Environmental Science and Engineering,
Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200240, China | School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai
200032, China | College of Environment and Resources, Jilin
University, Changchun 130026, China
Abstract: China is one of countries with the highest mercury production in the
world. The Guizhou Province in Southwestern China is currently one of the
world's most important mercury production areas. In order to study the
neurotoxicity of rice from Qingzhen Chemical Plant area and probe into the
signal transduction molecular mechanism of injury in rat brain stimulation by
mercury contaminated rice. The rats were exposed to mercury contaminated rice
for 20 d. Both of the measurements of NO and NOS were processed according to
the protocol of the kit. The effect of Hg contaminated rice on the expression
of c-fos mRNA in rat brain and the expression of c-FOS protein in cortex,
hippocampus were observed using reverse transcription polymerase chain
reaction (RT-PCR) and immunocytochemical methods.The results showed the neural
transmitter NO and NOS in brain were significantly change between exposure
groups and control group; the mercury polluted rice induced significantly the
expression of c-fos mRNA; the c-FOS positive cells in hippocampus and cortex of
exposure groups were significant different from control group (p
< 0.01). It could be concluded that nitric oxide was involved in
mercury contaminated rice induced immediate early gene c-fos expressions in the
rat brain. Through food chain, local ecosystem and health of local people iave
been deteriorated seriously by mercury. This serious situation will last a long
period. In order to alleviate mercury pollution, more work needs to do.
Keywords: chemical plant, mercury contaminated rice, c-fos, NO, NOS
