17β-estradiol decreases methylmercury-induced neurotoxicity in male mice.

There is increasing evidence that health effects of toxic metals, including methylmercury (MeHg), differ in prevalence or are manifested differently in men and women. The present study was aimed at investigating the potential differential susceptibility of male and female Swiss mice against MeHg-induced neurotoxicity, which was evaluated by biochemical (cerebellar oxidative stress-related parameters) and behavioral (locomotor activity and motor performance) variables. We also aimed to evaluate the potential protective effects of 17β-estradiol against such toxicity in MeHg-exposed male animals.

Lactational exposure to malathion inhibits brain acetylcholinesterase in mice.

The organophosphorus (OP) pesticide malathion is a highly neurotoxic compound. Although some studies have reported neurotoxicity signs after the in utero exposure to OP pesticides, there is no evidence of the exclusive contribution of the lactational exposure to malathion as a possible cause of neurotoxicity in the offspring. In this study, we investigated the exclusive contribution of malathion exposure through maternal milk on the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), as well as on biochemical parameters related to the oxidative stress (glutathione levels, lipid peroxidation and glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase activities) in the brain of suckling mice.