Inorganic mercury and its health effects

Fascinating insights into how an inorganic compound found its way into human microbial systems provide the background of this new study authored by microbiology doctoral student Stephen LaVoie :

Published in December in the Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, the research looked at how inorganic and organic mercury affected specific molecular processes.

Inorganic mercury from the ore cinnabar was used for centuries against infections; in modern times, humans synthesized organic mercurials as antimicrobials, such as merthiolate.

"Today, most human exposure to inorganic mercury is from dental fillings, and organic mercury exposure is from methylmercury in fish," said study co-author Anne Summers, a microbiology professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

Organic mercury exposure is associated with neurological disease, LaVoie explained, whereas inorganic mercury is known to cause neurological, kidney and autoimmune diseases. However, the molecular basis for their distinct toxicity profiles was not understood.

Owing to concern about fish consumption, most research has emphasized organic mercury, assuming it was more toxic, LaVoie said. But comparing them on key cellular processes, he found that inorganic mercury "caused more damage at lower concentrations than organic mercury."

This work is separate though also of a piece with other recent important work at UGA on bacterial organisms. The thorough-going impact of the microbiome - whether human or deep ocean - on the health of our world and our bodies is all but certain. How it begins to affect our interactions with our ecology and our biology is yet to be determined, but the work of microbiologists is central to determining how that action proceeds. Following work like this, even for a layperson, you get the sense that scientists are gaining a better focus on the bigger picture. Exciting stuff, slowly unfolding through tireless work in the labs. Congratulations to LaVoie on this work and lead authorship on this publication.

Image: Stephen LaVoie (Credit: Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA)