Genetiska skillnader i kroppens förmåga att göra sig av med kvicksilver

Kvicksilver är ett potent gift som oroar allmänheten och personer utsatta för kvicksilver i sitt arbete t.ex.tandläkare,tandsköterskor m.fl. Nya studier pekar på att olika gener som hanterar toxikokinetiken hos kvicksilver är polymorfa hos människan och detta kan påverka skillnaden mellan olika individer och deras av i ackumulering av kvicksilver i kroppen. Det vill säga, ingen har samma känslighet för kvicksilver och alla har olika förmåga att utsöndra kvicksilver. Läs mer nedan

Genetiska skillnader i kroppens förmåga att göra sig av med kvicksilver:

Jaclyn M. Goodrich, Yi Wang, Brenda Gillespie, Robert Werner1, Alfred Franzblau, Niladri

Basu. Glutathione enzyme and selenoprotein polymorphisms associate with mercury biomarker levels

in Michigan dental professionals. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 2011. Accepted Manuscript.

“ ABSTRACT

Mercury is a potent toxicant of concern to both the general public and occupationally

exposed workers (e.g., dentists). Recent studies suggest that several genes mediating the

toxicokinetics of mercury are polymorphic in humans and may influence inter-individual

variability in mercury accumulation. This work hypothesizes that polymorphisms in key

glutathione synthesizing enzyme, glutathione s-transferase, and selenoprotein genes underlie

inter-individual differences in mercury body burden as assessed by analytical mercury

measurement in urine and hair, biomarkers of elemental mercury and methylmercury,

respectively. Urine and hair samples were collected from a population of dental professionals

(n=515), and total mercury content was measured. Average urine (1.06±1.24 ug/L) and hair

mercury levels (0.49±0.63 ug/g) were similar to national U.S. population averages. Taqman

assays were used to genotype DNA from buccal swab samples at 15 polymorphic sites in genes

implicated in mercury metabolism. Linear regression modeling assessed the ability of

polymorphisms to modify the relationship between mercury biomarker levels and exposure

sources (e.g., amalgams, fish consumption). Five polymorphisms were significantly associated

with urine mercury levels (GSTT1 deletion), hair mercury levels (GSTP1-105, GSTP1-114,

GSS 5?), or both (SEPP1 3?UTR). Overall, this study suggests that polymorphisms in

selenoproteins and glutathione-related genes may influence elimination of mercury in the urine

and hair or mercury retention following exposures to elemental mercury (via dental amalgams)

and methylmercury (via fish consumption).?