PUBLICATION
The association of cysteine to thiomersal attenuates its apoptosis-mediated cytotoxicity in zebrafish
- Authors
- Dutta, D., Show, S., Pal, A., Toba, A.A., Prasad Aj, M., Nongthomba, U.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-240103-19
- Date
- 2023
- Source
- Chemosphere 350: 141070 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Nongthomba, Upendra
- Keywords
- Antibacterial, Apoptosis, Endocytosis, Thiomersal, Vaccine preservative, Zebrafish
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Anti-Bacterial Agents/toxicity
- Cysteine/pharmacology
- Escherichia coli
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus*
- Microbial Sensitivity Tests
- Preservatives, Pharmaceutical
- Thimerosal/pharmacology
- Vaccines*
- Zebrafish
- PubMed
- 38160945 Full text @ Chemosphere
Citation
Dutta, D., Show, S., Pal, A., Toba, A.A., Prasad Aj, M., Nongthomba, U. (2023) The association of cysteine to thiomersal attenuates its apoptosis-mediated cytotoxicity in zebrafish. Chemosphere. 350:141070.
Abstract
Thiomersal (TM) is an excellent preservative that is used in a wide variety of products, like pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and vaccines, etc. Its usage has been in decline because of safety concerns. Since vaccine production is on the rise, its use may increase further in low-income and developing countries, as a cost-effective vaccine preservative. Further, Thiomersal is still being used as an essential component in various pharmaceutical preparations. In this light, the present study addresses its mechanism of toxicity in zebrafish and unveils a novel strategy for lessening its negative effects by conjugating cysteine to it, while retaining its antibacterial efficacy. We show that the mitochondrial membrane potential is destabilised by TM, leading to the induction of apoptosis. Interestingly, TM-cysteine conjugate (at a ratio of 1:1) showed no toxicity in zebrafish, whereas TM alone was highly toxic. Importantly, assaying for the bactericidal activity, tested using Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), revealed that the conjugate retains the antibacterial activity, demonstrating that the TM-cysteine conjugate is a safer alternative to TM as a vaccine preservative, and in all the other products that still use TM.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping