Thimerosal induces apoptotic and fibrotic changes to kidney epithelial cellsin vitro

Abstract

Thimerosal is an ethyl mercury-containing compound used mainly in vaccines as a bactericide. Although the kidney is a key target for mercury toxicity, thimerosal nephrotoxicity has not received the same attention as other mercury species. The aim of this study was to determine the potential cytotoxic mechanisms of thimerosal on human kidney cells. Human kidney proximal tubular epithelial (HK2) cells were exposed for 24 h to thimerosal (0-2 µM), and assessed for cell viability, apoptosis, and cell proliferation; expression of proteins Bax, nuclear factor-κB subunits, and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1); mitochondrial health (JC-1, MitoTracker Red CMXRos); and fibronectin levels (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). Thimerosal diminished HK2 cell viability and mitosis, promoted apoptosis, impaired the mitochondrial permeability transition, enhanced Bax and TGFβ1 expression, and augmented fibronectin secretion. This is the first report about kidney cell death and pro-fibrotic mechanisms promoted by thimerosal. Collectively, these in vitro results demonstrate that (1) thimerosal induces kidney epithelial cell apoptosis via upregulating Bax and the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, and (2) thimerosal is a potential pro-fibrotic agent in human kidney cells. We suggest that new evidence on toxicity as well as continuous surveillance in terms of fibrogenesis is required concerning thimerosal use.

Adverse outcome pathways

“…Currently, large research projects focus on establishing alternative methods for skin toxicity (Natsch and Emter 2015;Golka 2015;Jaworska et al 2015;Sonnenburg et al 2015), nephrotoxicity (Jennings et al 2015;Aschauer et al 2015a, b;Vedula et al 2017;Choi et al 2016;Leclerc et al 2016;Carneiro et al 2015), hepatotoxicity (Hammad et al 2016;Aranda 2015, 2016;Deharde et al 2016;Gómez-Lechón and Tolosa 2016;Grinberg et al 2014) and toxicity of further organs and cell types. A strength of systematically established AOPs is that they can clearly indicate which specific key event or even molecular initiating event is detected by a certain readout of an in vitro system.…”