Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology, School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University in Cairo, P.O. Box: 74, New Cairo, Egypt.
Biotechnology Graduate Program, School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt.
Metab Brain Dis. 2021 Mar;36(3):361-374. doi: 10.1007/s11011-020-00649-5. Epub 2021 Jan 7.
This review paper investigates a specific environmental-disease interaction between mercury exposure and Alzheimer's disease hallmarks. Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting predominantly the memory of the affected individual. It prevails mostly in the elderly, rendering many factors as possible causative agents, which potentially contribute to the disease pathogenicity cumulatively. Alzheimer's disease affects nearly 50 million people worldwide and is considered one the most devastating diseases not only for the patient, but also for their families and caregivers. Mercury is a common environmental toxin, found in the atmosphere mostly due to human activity, such as coal burning for heating and cooking. Natural release of mercury into the atmosphere occurs by volcanic eruptions, in the form of vapor, or weathering rocks. The most toxic form of mercury to humans is methylmercury, to which humans are exposed to by ingestion of fish. Methylmercury was found to exert its toxic effects on different parts of the human body, with predominance on the brain. There is no safe concentration for mercury in the atmosphere, even trace amounts can elicit harm to humans in the long term. Mercury's effect on Alzheimer's disease hallmarks formation, extracellular senile plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, has been widely studied. This review demonstrates the involvement of mercury, in its different forms, in the pathway of amyloid beta deposition and tau tangles formation. It aims to understand the link between mercury exposure and Alzheimer's disease so that, in the future, prevention strategies can be applied to halt the progression of this disease.
这篇综述论文探讨了汞暴露与阿尔茨海默病特征之间的一种特定环境疾病相互作用。阿尔茨海默病是一种神经退行性疾病，主要影响受影响个体的记忆。它主要在老年人中流行，许多因素都可能成为致病因素，这些因素可能会累积地导致疾病的发病机制。全球有近 5000 万人患有阿尔茨海默病，它不仅对患者本身，而且对他们的家庭和护理人员来说，都被认为是最具破坏性的疾病之一。汞是一种常见的环境毒素，主要由于人类活动如燃烧煤炭取暖和烹饪而存在于大气中。汞自然释放到大气中是通过火山喷发以蒸汽的形式，或者是风化岩石。对人类最具毒性的汞形式是甲基汞，人类通过摄入鱼类而接触到甲基汞。研究发现，甲基汞对人体的不同部位都有其毒性作用，对大脑的影响最为明显。即使是痕量的汞在大气中也没有安全浓度，长期摄入会对人体造成伤害。汞对阿尔茨海默病特征的形成，即细胞外老年斑和细胞内神经原纤维缠结的影响，已经得到了广泛的研究。本综述表明，汞以不同的形式参与了淀粉样β沉积和 tau 缠结形成的途径。其目的是了解汞暴露与阿尔茨海默病之间的联系，以便将来可以应用预防策略来阻止这种疾病的发展。
