Artigo de Periódico
Losses of immunoreactive parvalbumin amacrine and immunoreactive alphaprotein kinase C bipolar cells caused by methylmercury chloride intoxication in the retina of the tropical fish Hoplias malabaricus
Registro en:
1414-431X
Autor
BONCI, Daniela Maria Oliveira
LIMA, Silene Maria Araújo de
GRÖTZNER, Sonia Regina
RIBEIRO, Ciro Alberto de Oliveira
HAMASSAKI, Dania Emi
VENTURA, Dora Selma Fix
Institución
Resumen
To quantify the effects of methylmercury (MeHg) on amacrine and on ON-bipolar cells in the retina, experiments were performed in MeHg-exposed groups of adult trahiras (Hoplias malabaricus) at two dose levels (2 and 6 µg/g, ip). The retinas of test and control groups were processed by mouse anti-parvalbumin and rabbit anti-aprotein kinase C (aPKC) immunocytochemistry. Morphology and soma location in the inner nuclear layer were used to identify immunoreactive parvalbumin (PV-IR) and aPKC (aPKC-IR) in wholemount preparations. Cell density, topography and isodensity maps were estimated using confocal images. PV-IR was detected in amacrine cells in the inner nuclear layer and in displaced amacrine cells from the ganglion cell layer, and aPKC-IR was detected in ON-bipolar cells. The MeHg-treated group (6 µg/g) showed significant reduction of the ON-bipolar aPKC-IR cell density (mean density = 1306 ± 393 cells/mm2) compared to control (1886 ± 892 cells/mm2; P < 0.001). The mean densities found for amacrine PV-IR cells in MeHg-treated retinas were 1040 ± 56 cells/mm2 (2 µg/g) and 845 ± 82 cells/mm2 (6 µg/g), also lower than control (1312 ± 31 cells/mm2; P < 0.05), differently from the data observed in displaced PV-IR amacrine cells. These results show that MeHg changed the PV-IR amacrine cell density in a dose-dependent way, and reduced the density of aKC-IR bipolar cells at the dose of 6 µg/g. Further studies are needed to identify the physiological impact of these findings on visual function.