Proteome fractionation of plasma samples of riverside Populations from Madeira River-Rondônia exposed to mercury by shotgun-LC-MS/MS

• Grant number: 21/12889-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2022
• End date: January 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Chemistry of Macromolecules
• Principal Investigator: Pedro de Magalhães Padilha
• Grantee: Felipe Dalmazzo Cirineu
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Mercury is a potentially toxic chemical element, not essential to metabolic processes and, therefore, responsible for environmental contamination and human poisoning. When present in aquatic ecosystems, mercury participates in biogeochemical cycles mediated by microorganisms, where it is chemically transformed, bioaccumulated and biomagnified in the trophic chain, resulting in organomercurial compounds, such as methylmercury (MeHg), which is absorbed by fish and other aquatic biota individuals. In this way, predatory fish with top trophic webs accumulate high levels of mercury and can function as vehicles of mercury species for their consumers, whether reptiles, birds and / or humans. In the Amazon basin, as the food of riverside communities is based mainly on fish consumption, this population is exposed to mercury species, which depending on their chemical form, concentration, quantity and frequency of exposure can cause harmful and even irreversible effects, like cell death. In addition to the chemical speciation of Hg, the symptoms of intoxication, as well as its severity, are related to the occurrence of accumulation in the body. In addition, the harmful effects of mercury in various systems are associated with oxidative stress, even when mercury species are in low concentrations. Based on the above, the general objective of the work proposal will be to identify possible biomarkers associated with the frequency of exposure to mercury using proteomic and metalloproteomic tools in riverside populations in the region of Jirau/Madeira River, Rondônia/Brazil. The Jirau region is characterized as one of the most impacted by mercury due to the gold mining and enterprises in the energy production sector. In this region, metalloproteomic studies in fish and breast milk were carried out in the last five years by researchers from UNESP / Botucatu in partnership with researchers from the University of Brasília, Instituto Evandro Chagas and University of Nebraska, where proteins associated with mercury with biomarker characteristics were identified. contamination. The present work proposal will continue the metalloproteomic studies of this region in relation to humans, working with plasma samples and using Noviplex cards that enable the sampling and transport of the collected blood samples.(AU)