This review paper investigates a specific environmental-disease interaction between mercury exposure and Alzheimer’s disease hallmarks. Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting predominantly the memory of the affected individual. It prevails mostly in the elderly, rendering many factors as possible causative agents, which potentially contribute to the disease pathogenicity cumulatively. Alzheimer’s disease affects nearly 50 million people worldwide and is considered one the most devastating diseases not only for the patient, but also for their families and caregivers. Mercury is a common environmental toxin, found in the atmosphere mostly due to human activity, such as coal burning for heating and cooking. Natural release of mercury into the atmosphere occurs by volcanic eruptions, in the form of vapor, or weathering rocks. The most toxic form of mercury to humans is methylmercury, to which humans are exposed to by ingestion of fish. Methylmercury was found to exert its toxic effects on different parts of the human body, with predominance on the brain. There is no safe concentration for mercury in the atmosphere, even trace amounts can elicit harm to humans in the long term. Mercury’s effect on Alzheimer’s disease hallmarks formation, extracellular senile plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, has been widely studied. This review demonstrates the involvement of mercury, in its different forms, in the pathway of amyloid beta deposition and tau tangles formation. It aims to understand the link between mercury exposure and Alzheimer’s disease so that, in the future, prevention strategies can be applied to halt the progression of this disease.

这篇综述论文调查了汞暴露与阿尔茨海默病特征之间特定的环境-疾病相互作用。阿尔茨海默病是一种神经退行性疾病，主要影响受影响个体的记忆。它主要在老年人中流行，使许多因素成为可能的病原体，这些因素可能累积地导致疾病的致病性。阿尔茨海默病影响全球近 5000 万人，被认为是对患者及其家人和护理人员最具破坏性的疾病之一。汞是一种常见的环境毒素，主要由于人类活动而在大气中发现，例如用于取暖和烹饪的燃煤。汞通过火山喷发以蒸气或风化岩的形式自然释放到大气中。对人类毒性最大的汞是甲基汞，人类通过摄入鱼类而接触到甲基汞。甲基汞被发现对人体的不同部位产生毒性作用，主要作用于大脑。大气中的汞没有安全浓度，即使是微量的汞也会对人类造成长期伤害。汞对阿尔茨海默病标志形成、细胞外老年斑和细胞内神经原纤维缠结的影响已得到广泛研究。这篇综述证明了不同形式的汞参与了淀粉样蛋白 β 沉积和 tau 缠结形成的途径。它旨在了解汞暴露与阿尔茨海默病之间的联系，以便在未来可以应用预防策略来阻止这种疾病的进展。