Mercury alters endotoxin-induced inflammatory cytokine expression in liver: differential roles of p38 and extracellular signal-regulated mitogen-activated protein kinases.

Mercury is a widespread metal in the environment and consequently large populations are currently exposed to low levels of mercury. Endotoxin, a component of the Gram-negative bacteria, promotes inflammatory responses. We recently reported that mercury modulates the production of nitric oxide and various inflammatory cytokines induced by endotoxin in a macrophage cell line (Nitric Oxide 2002, 7:67). The present study was designed to determine the impact of mercury on endotoxin-induced inflammatory cytokine expression and corresponding signal transduction in mouse liver. Male BALB/c mice were exposed continuously to 0, 0.3, 1.5, 7.5, or 37.5 ppm of mercury in drinking water for 14 days and at the end of the treatment period lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 0.5 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally 2 hr prior to euthanasia. The doses of mercury and LPS did not cause hepatotoxicity as indicated by unaltered circulating alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels. Mercury decreased liver glutathione (GSH) and with LPS additively decreased GSH. Mercury activated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and additively increased LPS-induced p38 MAPK phosphorylation. In contrast, mercury alone had no effect on activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) but inhibited LPS-induced ERK activation. Mercury increased the expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and further potentiated LPS-induced TNFalpha expression. Mercury did not affect LPS-induced interleukin (IL)-1beta expression but decreased LPS-induced IL-6 expression. Results indicated that low levels of mercury augment LPS-induced TNFalpha expression by altering GSH and p38 MAPK. Mercury modulates LPS-induced p38 and ERK activation and downstream TNFalpha and IL-6 expression in mouse liver.