Protective Effect of Omega-3 of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Docosahexaenoic Acid on the Organic Mercury-Induced Cytotoxicity in Cultured NIH3T3 Fibroblasts

  • Ha, Dae-Ho (Sanbon Medical Center, Wonkwang University) ;
  • Lee, Jai-Kyoo (Sanbon Medical Center, Wonkwang University)
  • Published : 2008.09.30

Abstract

To clerify the protective effect of omega-3 of polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the cytotoxicity induced by organic mercury in cultured NIH3T3 fibroblasts. The measurement of cell viability on ogranic mercury wad done by XTT assay after NIH3T3 fibroblasts were cultured with various concentrations of methyl mercuric chloride (MMC). And also, the effect of DHA on the MMC-mediated cytotoxicity was examined by cell viability, and antioxidant effect of DHA was also assessed by superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity and the lipid peroxidation activity in cultured NIH3T3 fibroblasts. In this study, MMC decreased cell viability and $XTT_{50}$ value was determined at $50{\mu}M$ of MMC in these culture. In the effect of DHA against the cytotoxicity induced by MMC, DHA significantly increased the cell viability damaged by MMC in cultured NIH3T3 fibroblasts. And also, DHA showed the antioxidant effect by showing the increase of SOD-like activity and the decrease of lipid peroxidation activity. From these results, it is suggested that organic mercury such as MMC has highly toxic effect on cultured NIH3T3 fibroblasts, and also, omega-3 of polyunsaturated fatty acid, DHA showed the protection on MMC-induced cytotoxicity and antioxidant effect.

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