Mercury intolerance in relation to superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and the nitroblue tetrazolium responses

Through percutaneous provocation with metallic mercury and phenyl mercuric acetate in patients stating the presence of subjective psychosomatic sympto ms following dental amalgam treatment, it has been possible to categorize a nd score two extreme groups of patients, mercury-intolerant and mercury-tol erant patients reacting and not reacting, respectively, to low doses of mer cury, The intolerant patients had a high psychosomatic score and the tolera nt patients had a low or null score when exposed to low doses of the two me rcury compounds. Determination of the scavenger enzymes superoxide dismutas e, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase showed no significant differences b etween the mercury-intolerant and the mercury-tolerant patients and the con trols. The activity of superoxide dismutase and the quantitative psychosoma tic score elicited by either metallic mercury or phenyl mercuric acetate sh owed a positive correlation. On the other hand, analyses of the psychosomat ic score and the areas under the curves of the nitroblue tetrazolium test r esponse showed negative correlations. The results indicate that the oxidati ve metabolism and, in particular, superoxide dismutase may be perturbed in mercury-intolerant patients. (C) 2000 Academic Press.