Manganese (Mn) poisoning may result in a neurological disorder called manganism. Although the neurotoxic mechanism of Mn is unclear, oxidative stress may be involved based on the interactions between neurotransmitter catecholamines and metals such as iron. Here, we propose a novel mechanism in which Mn oxidizes catecholamines and inhibits cellular transcription. Mn accelerated the oxidation of adrenaline (Ad) and produced adrenochrome (AdC) more effectively than iron. Furthermore, the oxidation of DNA bases increased when Ad, Mn, and iron were present. However, despite the absence of iron, cell viability decreased in the presence of AdC or Ad with Mn, which suggests there is another mechanism independent of oxidative DNA damage. AdC or preincubated Ad with Mn reduced mRNA synthesis in T7 RNA polymerase-driven transcription. RNA synthesis decreased in AdC-treated cells dose-dependently. These results show that Mn disrupts neuronal function via catecholamine oxidation-mediated transcriptional inhibition.
Keywords: Aminochrome; Manganese; Neurotoxicity; Transcription.