Effects of mercury, methylmercury and aluminium on glial fibrillary acidic protein expression in rat cerebellar astrocyte cultures.

The effects of mercuric chloride, methylmercury chloride and aluminium chloride on glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression in primary cerebellar astrocyte cultures were studied. GFAP has been found to be a quantitative marker of neuronal injuries on the central nervous system in vivo. The GFAP content of the astrocytes was examined by sandwich ELISA after exposure for 1 wk to various metal concentrations in the culture medium. Cellular injuries were assessed by quantifying the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage into the culture medium. The expression of GFAP was found at lower dose levels than the leakage of LDH, indicating that the expression of GFAP could be a more sensitive marker of neurotoxicity than LDH leakage. In morphological examination, staining with monoclonal antibody showed GFAP induction after mercury exposure.