GKSS Research Center Institute for Coastal Research, Max-Planck-Strasse 1, 21502 Geesthacht, Germany.
J Environ Sci (China). 2009;21(12):1716-21. doi: 10.1016/s1001-0742(08)62478-x.
Mercury (Hg) is present in the marine environment as a natural metal often enhanced through human activities. Depending on its chemical form, Hg can cause a wide range of immunotoxic effects. In this study, the influence of methyl-, ethyl- and phenylmercury as well as mercurychloride on immune functions was evaluated. Two parameters of cellular immunity, proliferation and mRNA cytokine expression of interleukin-2, -4, and transforming growth factor beta, were investigated in harbor seal lymphocytes after in vitro exposure to Hg compounds. While all Hg compounds had a suppressive effect on proliferation, differences between juvenile and adult seals were found. Lymphocytes from juveniles showed a higher susceptibility to the toxic effect compared to lymphocytes from adults. Furthermore, the degree of inhibition of proliferation varied among the four Hg compounds. The organic compounds seem to be more immunotoxic than the inorganic compound. Finally, for the cytokine expression of methylmercury-incubated lymphocytes, time-dependent changes were observed, but no dose-dependency was found. Marine mammals of the North Sea are burdened with Hg, and lymphocytes of harbor seals may be functionally impaired by this metal. The present in vitro study provides baseline information for future studies on the immunotoxic effects of Hg on cellular immunity of harbor seals.
汞（Hg）作为一种天然金属存在于海洋环境中，其含量常常因人类活动而增加。根据其化学形态，汞可能会引起广泛的免疫毒性作用。在本研究中，评估了甲基汞、乙基汞和苯基汞以及氯化汞对免疫功能的影响。在体外暴露于汞化合物后，研究了港湾海豹淋巴细胞的细胞免疫的两个参数，即增殖和白细胞介素-2、-4 和转化生长因子-β的 mRNA 细胞因子表达。虽然所有汞化合物都对增殖有抑制作用，但在幼体和成年海豹之间存在差异。与成年海豹的淋巴细胞相比，幼体的淋巴细胞对毒性作用更敏感。此外，四种汞化合物的增殖抑制程度也不同。有机化合物似乎比无机化合物更具有免疫毒性。最后，对于孵育甲基汞的淋巴细胞的细胞因子表达，观察到时间依赖性变化，但未发现剂量依赖性。北海的海洋哺乳动物受到汞的影响，港湾海豹的淋巴细胞可能因这种金属而功能受损。本体外研究为未来研究汞对港湾海豹细胞免疫的免疫毒性作用提供了基线信息。
