Effects of Methylmercury on Harbour Seal Peripheral Blood Leucocytes In Vitro Studied by Electron Microscopy

[en] Methylmercury MeHg is highly immunotoxic and can alter the health status of the harbour seal, Phoca vitulina, from the North Sea. To investigate the mechanism of MeHg-induced toxicity in harbour seal lymphocytes, ConA-stimulated peripheral blood leucocytes were exposed in vitro to sub-lethal concentrations of MeHgCl (0.2, 1 and 2 µM) for 72h, and then analysed for their viability and ultrastructure. After 72h of incubation, cells were counted with a propidium iodide staining technique, a metabolic MTS assay was performed, and cells exposed to 1 µM MeHgCl were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Alive cell numbers decreased with increased MeHgCl concentrations. In presence of ConA and 1µM of MeHgCl, TEM images revealed a higher frequency of apoptotic cells. Exposed cells displayed condensation of the chromatin at the nuclear membrane and mitochondrial damages. The results suggest that in vitro MeHgCl induced apoptosis in harbour seal lymphocytes through a mitochondrial pathway.

Research Center/Unit :

MARE - Centre Interfacultaire de Recherches en Océanologie - ULiège

Disciplines :

Environmental sciences & ecology
Aquatic sciences & oceanology

Author, co-author :

Dupont, Aurélie

De Pauw-Gillet, Marie-Claire ; Université de Liège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques > Histologie - Cytologie

Schnitzler, Joseph ; Université de Liège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution > Océanologie

Siebert, Ursula

Das, Krishna ; Université de Liège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution > Océanologie

Language :

English

Title :

Effects of Methylmercury on Harbour Seal Peripheral Blood Leucocytes In Vitro Studied by Electron Microscopy

Publication date :

January 2016

Journal title :

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology

ISSN :

0090-4341

eISSN :

1432-0703

Publisher :

Springer Science & Business Media B.V., New York, United States - New York

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

133-142

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

http://reflexions.ulg.ac.be/Phoques
[en] http://reflexions.ulg.ac.be/en/Seals

Funders :

F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique
FRFC - Fonds de la Recherche Fondamentale Collective

Available on ORBi :

since 12 August 2015

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