Thimerosal neurotoxicity is associated with glutathione depletion

NIH.gov ^ | January, 2005

[Coleus]

Thimerosol, a preservative developed by Eli Lily, was once widely used in vaccines. That was until it was identified as the source of the largest exposure to mercury in the United States in children under 18 months of age and mandated to be removed from vaccines. However, amazingly, despite its well-documented potential toxic effects, this harmful preservative remains present in the flu vaccine, which is given to pregnant women, the elderly and children.

A team of researchers examined the toxicity of thimerosal within the body including neurons. They explored:

• Neurotoxic mechanisms
• How the body detoxifies mercury
• The use of N-Acetylcysteine (or NAC) in aiding the detoxification pathway within the body

Ordinarily, the brain and liver can manufacture enough glutathione (an essential antioxidant and naturally occurring tripeptide made of cysteine, glutamate, and glycine) to protect your body from exposure to various heavy metals, including mercury. When this critical compound is depleted in your body, however, the mercury that is left can bind with cellular proteins, can lead to toxic damage.

Studies have indicated low incredibly tiny concentrations of thimerosal induced:

• DNA strand breaks
• Caspase-3 activation
• Membrane damage
• Cell death

Researchers also found that higher concentrations of thimerosal lead to a greater number of cells that were killed, and the nerve cell response occurred with only a three-hour exposure.

Neurotoxicology January 2005;26(1):1-8

 

1: Neurotoxicology. 2005 Jan;26(1):1-8.

Related Articles,

 
Thimerosal neurotoxicity is associated with glutathione depletion: protection with glutathione precursors.

James SJ, Slikker W 3rd, Melnyk S, New E, Pogribna M, Jernigan S.

Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, Little Rock, AR 72202, USA. jamesjill@uams.edu

Thimerosol is an antiseptic containing 49.5% ethyl mercury that has been used for years as a preservative in many infant vaccines and in flu vaccines. Environmental methyl mercury has been shown to be highly neurotoxic, especially to the developing brain.

Because mercury has a high affinity for thiol (sulfhydryl (-SH)) groups, the thiol-containing antioxidant, glutathione (GSH), provides the major intracellular defense against mercury-induced neurotoxicity. Cultured neuroblastoma cells were found to have lower levels of GSH and increased sensitivity to thimerosol toxicity compared to glioblastoma cells that have higher basal levels of intracellular GSH. Thimerosal-induced cytotoxicity was associated with depletion of intracellular GSH in both cell lines.

Pretreatment with 100 microM glutathione ethyl ester or N-acetylcysteine (NAC), but not methionine, resulted in a significant increase in intracellular GSH in both cell types. Further, pretreatment of the cells with glutathione ethyl ester or NAC prevented cytotoxicity with exposure to 15 microM Thimerosal. Although Thimerosal has been recently removed from most children's vaccines, it is still present in flu vaccines given to pregnant women, the elderly, and to children in developing countries. The potential protective effect of GSH or NAC against mercury toxicity warrants further research as possible adjunct therapy to individuals still receiving Thimerosal-containing vaccinations.

PMID: 15527868 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[Incorrigible]

Autism bump. Sorry, I don't have my full list with me....

[neverdem]

According to IOM Report: No Link Between Vaccines and Autism

Even though the risk of thimerosal is hypothetical, thimerosal began to be removed from childhood vaccines in 1999. The federal government, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and others agreed that thimerosal should be reduced and eliminated in vaccines as a precautionary measure. The FDA encouraged companies to comply with this recommendation. Currently, all routinely recommended vaccines manufactured for infants in the United States are either thimerosal-free or contain only trace amounts.

--snip--

For the 2004-2005 flu season, the CDC is recommending that children ages 6 months to 23 months get vaccinated annually against the flu (influenza) with the inactivated flu shot. "The influenza vaccine is available both with thimerosal as a preservative and without it," Midthun says. "But the benefits of flu vaccination outweigh any theoretical risk from thimerosal."

According to the CDC, the amount of flu vaccine without thimerosal as a preservative will increase as manufacturing capabilities expand. "To eliminate thimerosal as a preservative from flu vaccines, manufacturers will have to switch from multi-dose to single-dose preparations, which requires greater filling and storage capacity," Midthun says.

If thimerosal is the culprit, then I think epidemiologists or administrators for special education funding might have started to notice a decrease in the incidence of the diagnoses of autistic spectrum disorders.

FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.

[lainde]

bttt

[Born Conservative]

I followed the link, but couldn't find the first several paragraphs. I find it hard to believe that the NIH would write this...

[Born Conservative]

However, amazingly, despite its well-documented potential toxic effects, this harmful preservative remains present in the flu vaccine, which is given to pregnant women, the elderly and children.

Infant flu vaccine is thimerosol free; the "adult" vaccine isn't.

[syriacus]

Thanks for the ping, neverdem.

I had noticed that "bottles" of contact-lens saline solution that I bought for my children said "Contains no thimerosal." I wondered what that statment was referring to.

I'm now wondering what other products, that people used every day, contained thimerosal.

Sensitive Eyes® Saline Solution is a thimerosal-free preserved saline solution for people with sensitive eyes. Use Sensitive Eyes Saline Solution for rinsing your soft contact lenses after cleaning or chemical disinfection. May also be used for storing lenses during thermal disinfection.

[syriacus]

Description: Thimerosal

or sodium ethylmercurithiosalicylate is a mercury-containing organic compound (organomercurial) that has been used since about 1930 as an antimicrobial preservative in a number of biological and drug products, including many vaccines. Thimerosal effectively inhibits/prevents bacterial and fungal growth, and is widely used as an preservative in aqueous biopharmaceutical and drug products, particularly those packaged in multiple use vials (needle repeated inserted to withdraw contents for injection), and in cosmetics and other products. [snip]

With a formula of C8H9HgNaO3S2 and molecular weight of 404.82 Daltons, thimerosal is 49.6% mercury by weight. [snip]

[Born Conservative]

Back in the 1980's (and maybe even after that), contact lens solution contained Thimerosol. I used it for years, and so far haven't had any signs of mercury toxicity.

[syriacus]

Glad to hear that!

[syriacus]

Jul 9 1999, Newsgroups: sci.med.vision Jul 9 1999

The Canadian media lit up yesterday with stories about the mercury content in thimerosal and how, when used as a preservative in baby food (certain formulas), could contribute to infants' consuming nearly a lifetime's recommended level of the chemical by the time they were starting on solid foods.

[syriacus]

Looks like nasal sprays (even for babies) have contained thimerosal

[syriacus]

I had no idea that merthiolate is the same thing as thimerosal. Merthiolate was a commonly used antiseptic in the 50's.

Mercurochrome (a different mercury based antiseptic) was commonly used, too.

[SunkenCiv]

I agree, hard to believe. Aluminum cookpans cause alzheimers. Cell phones cause brain cancer. Silicon breast implants cause breast cancer. If it weren't for all this mass-produced capitalist technocratic poisoning, we'd all live longer, healthier, more productive lives. Okay, so, we'd have an insufficient food supply, and we'd die of tooth absesses or have all of our teeth pulled by age 30, but with a mortar and pestle, we could grind up our food *before* putting it into our mouths. It'll work.

The Mercury Amalgam Scam:
How Anti-Amalgamists Swindle People
Stephen Barrett, M.D.
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/mercury.html

[Coleus]

Infant flu vaccine is thimerosol free; the "adult" vaccine isn't. >>

You may be right about this, do you have further info. on this and are the other vaccines, MMR,etc. thimerisol free? Which means there most likely is a problem with mercury in these vaccines where children have had some serious reactions. Which is why many have tried to get stubborn doctors, freepers and all the like to get the pharm. compaines to make vaccines without a neurotoxin like mercury. Kinds of make you think why there are so many classified students in special ed. classes in America's Public Schools. Remember the Mad Hatter, turns out they were mad because mercury was used in the making of hat. And why among professionals, dentists have the higher rates of suicide? Do mercury amalgams come to mind?

Problem is when an "adult pregnant" woman gets a flu shot as an adult, she will unknowingly poison her child in utero.

[Coleus]

Are Aborted Fetuses used in the Development of making Vaccines?
The answerer is YES

YOUR GOVERNMENT AT WORK
CDC vaccines study slammed as cover-up
Data linking mercury exposure, neurodevelopment said 'manipulated'

[Coleus]

I followed the link, but couldn't find the first several paragraphs. I find it hard to believe that the NIH would write this... >>>

You may want to e mail this person:

Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, Little Rock, AR 72202, USA. jamesjill@uams.edu

[Born Conservative]

The only vaccine currently with Thimerosol is adult flu vaccine (it's been several years since the other vaccines contained it). If the mercury in MMR vaccine truly did cause autism, why is it that the rate of autism continues to increase, yet the MMR is thimerosol free?

As for "neurotoxin", there are many of these around us on a daily basis; however, adverse reactions are dose dependant. Capsaicin (contained in Cayenne Pepper) is a neurotoxin. Should we ban Cayenne Peppers? Common insecticides are neurotoxins as well. And don't forget Botox (in addition to it's use in wrinkles, botulinum toxin is used therapeutically in children with cerebral palsy to improve mobility).

As for the increase of children labeled as Special Ed, one explanation for this is that medical science has made a lot of advancements, and children that otherwise would have died if born several decades ago, are now living past infancy, yet have lingering disabilities that require placement in Special Ed.

I agree that mercury is a neurotoxin, but the scientific evidence that it causes such widespread maladies is lacking.

[Born Conservative]

Click on your link from the body of your post: "Neurotoxicology January 2005;26(1):1-8". The paragraphs written above this link in the body of your post are not contained at this link. That was my point. Who wrote this? Was this part of another abstract? I don't see any of this at either of the links you provided. It just seems odd to me that a scientific abstract would be so opinionated.

[Coleus]

. That was my point. Who wrote this? Was this part of another abstract?

no, it was commentary and an opinion.