The Relationship between Cytokine Profile and Hypertension among the Mercury-Exposed Residents of Temirtau Region in Central Kazakhstan

Abstract

Background: Mercury is a common environmental contaminant and it is also harmful to human health. Among reported toxicities, its harmful effect on hypertension is poorly documented. In Kazakhstan, Temirtau city has been reported to have a high level of mercury contamination from an acetaldehyde production factory. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between serum profile of cytokines and the development of hypertension among the exposed citizens.
 Methods: We selected 81 individuals for study, out of them, 41 exposed ones suffered hypertension and 40 – unexposed healthy controls in villages Chkalovo, Samarkand, Gagarinskoye, Tegiszhol, Rostovka in 2016. Mercury content in urine was studied by inversion voltammetry. Cytokine levels of IL-2, IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α were determined by ELISA.
 Results: Mercury-exposed citizens, especially those with hypertension, had significantly higher concentrations of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-2, IL-6 and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 as compared to the unexposed population. The dependence of the mercury level in urine on IL-2 content was also detected. Therefore, chronic low doses of exposure to mercury were associated with an increase in serum levels of immune markers and with the increased risk of hypertension.
 Conclusion: The presence of mercury in the body probably affected the expression of interleukin-2, one of the main cytokines that coordinate immune response.

Serum levels of inflammatory cytokines in mercury mining workers in a precarious situation: A preliminary study

“…Concerning the high levels of IL-8, it has been reported that mercury induces the expression of IL-8 in macrophage and human glioblastoma astrocytoma (U-87 MG) cell cultures, indicating that the IL-8 production may be a mechanism of action of neurotoxicity (Yamamoto et al, 2017). Similarly, this study corroborates the findings reported in residents of Kazakhstan exposed to mercury, which reported increased levels of the cytokine IL-2 (Shinetova et al, 2020).…”

Neuro-protective effects of n-butylphthalide on carbon monoxide poisoning rats by modulating IL-2, AKT and BCL-2

“…The molecules regulate cell apoptosis by forming dimers of different quality and quantity. Studies have shown that IL-2 can induce the expression of BCL-2 (Shinetova et al, 2020), which may be mediated by NF-AT (Gómez et al, 1998). IL-2 can stimulate human peripheral blood lymphocytes to cause the accumulation of BCL-2α and β mRNA (Artyukhov and Tyunina, 2017;Pae et al, 2004).…”

Fish and Seafood Safety: Human Exposure to Toxic Metals from the Aquatic Environment and Fish in Central Asia

“…Heaven et al [8] reported a range of Hg concentrations of 0.46-5.36 µg/L in the river Nura. Shinetova et al [50] measured 4.5 ± 9.8 µg/L (mean ± standard deviation) of Hg in highly contaminated parts and 0.03 ± 0.08 µg/L in low contaminated parts of the river Nura.…”

“…The Karbide chemical plant is located on the river Nura in northeast-central Kazakhstan and the uncontrolled release of wastewater from the plant has resulted in serious contamination of the river [8]. This area, particularly Temirtau City, is known for high contamination with mercury and the citizens of the area were reported to have a higher risk of hypertension and higher blood concentrations of inflammatory markers [50]. Heaven et al [8] reported a range of Hg concentrations of 0.46-5.36 µg/L in the river Nura.…”