Protection effect of taurine on nitrosative stress in the mice brain with chronic exposure to arsenic

Journal of Biomedical Science

Review

Fengyuan Piao¹  Mikio Sasoh²  Hiromichi Sugiura³  Shosuke Kawanishi³  Ning Ma³ 

[1] Department of Hygiene, Dalian Medical University, 116027, Dalian, China;Department of Ophthalmology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-0001, Mie, Japan;Faculty of Health Science and Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Suzuka University of Medical Science, Suzuka, Mie, 510-0293, Japan;

关键词: Nitric Oxide;    Arsenic;    Taurine;    Reactive Nitrogen Species;    Arsenic Exposure;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1423-0127-17-S1-S7

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundArsenic exposure induces overproduction of reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in brain tissue and results in nucleic acid damage to the nerve cells. The 8-nitroguanine is one of the major products formed by the reaction of guanine, and ONOO-, and has been used as a popular biomarker of nucleic acid damage due to RNS attacking. In the present study, we examined whether the administration of taurine can protect against nucleic acid damage of brain neurons by arsenic-induced RNS.Materials and methodsSixty mice (30 male and 30 female) weighing 19.5 ± 1.5 g were divided into 3 groups: (1) control group, (2) experimental group that received arsenic (As2O3), and (3) antagonistic group that received taurine with arsenic. Arsenic was administered for 60 days. 8-Nitroguanine expressions in brain neurons of mice were examined by the immunohistochemical method. Histopathological changes in brain tissues of mice were observed under light microscope and the immunohistochemistry method was used to investigate 8-nitroguanine expressions in cerebrum and cerebellum of mice.ResultsIn the control group, no abnormal histopathological changes were observed in brain tissue of the mice. In brain tissue of the mice exposed to arsenic, histopathological results showed swells, evident vacuolar degeneration in cytoplasm, karyorrhexis and karyolysis. Relatively light pathological changes were observed in brain of the mice co-administered arsenic and taurine. Little or no expression of 8-nitroguanine in brain tissue was observed in controls. However, intensive expression of 8-nitroguanine was found in brain tissue of mice exposed to arsenic and it was mainly distributed in nucleus neighbouring the nuclear membrane, but a little in cytoplasm. A weak expression of 8-nitroguanine was observed in brain cells of mice co-administered arsenic and taurine.ConclusionsThe brain neurons may be the major target cells of arsenic neurotoxicity. Co-administration of arsenic and taurine can alleviate DNA damage of brain neurons caused by arsenic through the RNS signal pathway.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Ma et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2010