DNA damage and proteomic profile changes in rat salivary glands after chronic exposure to inorganic mercury

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior–Brasil (CAPES)–Financing Code 001.Federal University of Pará. Institute of Biological Sciences. Laboratory of Functional and Structural Biology. Belém, PA, Brazil.Federal University of Pará. Institute of Biological Sciences. Laboratory of Functional and Structural Biology. Belém, PA, Brazil.Federal University of Pará. Institute of Biological Sciences. Laboratory of Functional and Structural Biology. Belém, PA, Brazil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, BrasilMinistério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Laboratório de Cultura Celular e Citogenética. Ananindeua, PA, BrasilUniversity of São Paulo. Bauru School of Dentistry. Department of Biological Sciences. Bauru, SP, BrazilUniversity of São Paulo. Bauru School of Dentistry. Department of Biological Sciences. Bauru, SP, BrazilMinistério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Laboratório de Cultura Celular e Citogenética. Ananindeua, PA, BrasilFederal University of Pará. Institute of Biological Sciences. Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology. Belém, PA, BrazilFederal University of Pará. Institute of Biological Sciences. Laboratory of Functional and Structural Biology. Belém, PA, BrazilMercury (Hg) is a toxic metal that became a public health problem due to environmental contamination caused by anthropogenic activity. In this sense, oral homeostasis can undergo changes due to the toxic effects of metal on the salivary glands. Therefore, our objective was to investigate the proteomic and genotoxic changes in salivary glands after exposure to inorganic mercury (IHg). Forty Wistar rats that were divided into a control group, which received distilled water, and an exposed group, which received 0.375 mg/kg of mercury chloride for 45 days via orogastric gavage. After that, the animals were euthanized, and the parotid and submandibular glands were collected for analysis of the genotoxic effects, using the comet assay and proteome global profile assessment. The results showed that IHg promoted damage to cellular DNA associated with proteomic changes that showed events such as oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, changes in the cytoskeleton, and apoptosis. Therefore, these findings show a profile of molecular changes due to the interactions of IHg with several proteins and mechanisms inherent to the cell, which consequently may result in dysfunction of the salivary glands and impaired homeostasis of the oral cavity