ACTION OF EXTRACT OF PARSLEY (Petroselinum sativum) IN THE MERCURY DETOXIFICATION IN VITRO.

Luciana Cursino,* Chartone-Souza, Andréa M.A. Nascimento (Department of General Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais) UFMG, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627 CEP 31-270-901,Campus Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Concern over the impact of mercury (Hg) on the environment has been widespread in recent decades. Its volatility, and tendency to bioaccumulate have made it a pollutant of special concern. Mercury is still a human neurotoxin interfering with normal development and functioning of nerve and muscle system. Toxicity is manifested as various neuromuscular malfunctions ranging from loss of sensations in mild cases to blindness, paralysis and death in severe cases. Due to all toxic properties of mercury the objective of this study was to develop new strategies of low cost, safe, and easy to minimize the chronic mercury intoxication (mercurialism), especially in developing countries as Brazil which the exposure to mercury principally from gold-mining is increasing. The plant Petroselinum sativum, herb present in the majority of brazillian dishes, was sterilized (1min ethanol 70% ® 3 min sodium hipochloride ®1 min ethanol 70%). In these work was used a soft-agar essay: artisanal extract of Petroselinum sativum obtained by maceration in graal (~3.5g) were placed on the solid medium (Nutrient broth-Difco + agar-agar 1.5%-Merck, supplemented or not with different concentrations of mercury chloride- HgCl2) during three hours to extract diffusion. Then, the extract were removed and fifty microliters of an overnight culture of the indicator strain mercury sensitive (Escherichia coli K12) grown in liquid medium (Nutrient broth-Difco) was added to 5 ml of molten soft agar (0.75%), which was then poured onto the solid medium plate with (after diffusion) or without extract(control). It was observed a presence of bacterial growth only around and inside of the region which was placed the extract. These preliminary results indicate a in vitro action of Petroselinum sativum extract in the mercury detoxification, but the specific compound present of this extract responsible to this action is still in the study. Probably, in the future it could be used to minimize the chronic mercury intoxication symptoms.