Neurocognitive and Affective Disorders Induced by Inorganic Mercury Exposure in Male Wistar Rats: Unraveling the Role of Oxidative Stress
Neurocognitive and Affective Disorders Induced by Inorganic Mercury Exposure in Male Wistar Rats: Unraveling the Role of Oxidative Stress
Sofia Azirar*, Abdelghafour El Hamzaoui*, Mouloud Lamtai, Mohamed Yassine El Brouzi, Aboubaker El Hessni, Abdelhalem Mesfioui
Description of the experimental setup, including the exposure of the model to HgCl2 and the composition of the experimental groups exposed to either NaCl (0.9%) or HgCl2; following a 60-day intraperitoneal injection period, rats underwent behavioral testing, including the Open Field test (OFT), Elevated Plus Maze (EPM), Forced Swimming Test (FST), Y-maze and Morris Water Maze (MWM) test; Subsequently, animals were euthanized and their hippocampi were collected for the evaluation of oxidative stress markers (lipid peroxidation (LPO), nitric oxide (NO) levels, and catalase (CAT) activity).
Low dose-dependent sub-chronic effect of HgCl2 on anxiety-related behavior of male Wistar rats subjected to the open field test. (a) Total amount time spent in the center (TCA); (b) Number of returns into center area of the arena in the open-field behavior apparatus (NRC); (c) Number of total squares (NTS). Data are expressed as mean ± SEM. The significance level is 0.05 with *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001.
Low dose-dependent sub-chronic effect of HgCl2 on anxiety-related behavior of male Wistar rats subjected to the elevated plus maze. (a) Total amount of time spent in exposed arms (TOA); (b) Number of entries in exposed arms (EOA); (c) Total number of arms entries (TEA). Data are expressed as mean ± SEM. The significance level is 0.05 with *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001.
Low dose-dependent sub-chronic effect of HgCl2 on depression-related behavior of male Wistar rats subjected to the forced swimming test. (a) Immobility time (IT); (b) climbing time. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM. The significance level is 0.05 with *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001.
Low dose-dependent sub-chronic effect of HgCl2 on cognitive-related behavior of male Wistar rats subjected to the Y maze. % of alternation:spontaneous alternation percentage. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM. The significance level is 0.05 with *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001.
Low dose-dependent sub-chronic effect of HgCl2 on cognitive-related behavior of male Wistar rats subjected to the Morris water maze. (a) Latency:escape latency during the acquisition phase; (b) Time spent in the target quadrant. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM. The significance level is 0.05 with *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001.
Low dose-dependent sub-chronic effect of HgCl2 on levels of (a) thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) content, (b) nitric oxide (NO) and (c) catalase activity (CAT) in the hippocampus of male Wistar rats. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM. The significance level is 0.05 with *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001.
