Application of Neurochemical Markers for Assessing Health Effects after Developmental Methylmercury and PCB Coexposure

Cholinergic muscarinic receptors (MRs) and monoamine oxidase activity (MAO-B), expressed both in brain and blood cells, were investigated in animals and exposed subjects to assess (i) MeHg (0.5–1 mg/kg/day GD7-PD7) and/or PCB153 (20 mg/kg/day GD10–GD16) effects on cerebellar MAO-B and MRs, and lymphocyte MRs, in dams and offspring 21 days postpartum; (ii) MAO-B in platelets and MRs in lymphocytes of a Faroese 7-year-old children cohort, prenatally exposed to MeHg/PCBs. Animal Data. MAO-B was altered in male cerebellum by MeHg, PCB153, and their combination (35%, 45%, and 25% decrease, resp.). Cerebellar MRs were enhanced by MeHg alone in dams (87%) and male pups (27%). PCB153 alone and in mixture did not modify cerebellar MRs. Similarly to brain, lymphocyte MRs were enhanced in both dams and offspring by MeHg alone. All changes were caused by 1 MeHg mg/kg/day, the lower dose was ineffective. Human Data. Both biomarkers showed homogeneous distributions within the cohort (MRs, range 0.1–36.78 fmol/million cells; MAO-B, 0.95–14.95 nmol/mg protein/h). No correlation was found between the two biomarkers and neurotoxicant concentrations in blood (pre- and postnatally).