Effects of methylmercury exposure on nitrosative mechanisms involved in the regulation of vascular tone.

• Grant number: 25/23658-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Program to Stimulate Scientific Vocations
• Start date: February 05, 2026
• End date: March 18, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: Jose Eduardo Tanus dos Santos
• Grantee: Laíza Maria Ferreira Souza
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Mercury exposure causes cardiovascular alterations, many of which are mediated by inhibition of endogenous nitric oxide (NO) activity through mechanisms that are not well understood. One of the fundamental mechanisms by which NO affects vascular function is through the regulation of S-nitrosylation of proteins that are critical for vascular control. This study aims to evaluate whether mercury exposure affects the formation of S-nitrosothiols and protein S-nitrosylation in blood vessels of rats treated with oral sodium nitrite, which induces the formation of S-nitrosothiols and vascular protein S-nitrosylation, as well as vascular reactivity. In particular, the study will investigate the S-nitrosylation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II gama (CaMKII¿), to determine whether mercury attenuates its nitrosylation following oral sodium nitrite treatment.