Neurospecific translation control and the problem of potent danger of drugs and chemicals: a caution

At present, chemicals are an integral part of the surrounding biosphere. A great number of new xenobiotics for industrial, pharmaceutical, agricultural, or mode-of-life daily use (perfumes, cosmetics, food additives, etc.) may play a role of a danger health hazards. These chemicals may be environmental pollutants and due to this circumstance they promote different ecological disorders including the several epidemic-like processes such as, for instance, Minamata disease (chronic alimentary poisoning with methyl mercury), etc. Also, these chemicals may be industrial hazards promoting the origin and development of various occupational diseases. Finally, the numerous side effects of multiple new drugs may serve as causes of a number of different health disorders. Briefly, we must agree that modern man exists in the world with such inalienable elements as the steadfast increase of chemical soiling of Earths biosphere. Naturally, human health protection in our "chemically soiled" world is very difficult by urgent task. As for the solving of this task, it may be reached only in the case of successful fundamental studies of mechanisms of toxic action of different classes of chemicals performed at different biological levels (systemic, organ/tissue, cellular and molecular levels of research). A separate and special population of modern health-hazardous chemicals is a group of agents which selectively suppress protein synthesis in mammalian cells and tissues due to the direct effect on the translation machinery elements or on the messenger RNA processing steps. The agents of this group ("translation blockers" or, the same but more broadly, "protein synthesis inhibitors" (PSI) usually are quite dangerous for human health since these substances inhibit the central molecular process of life, i.e., the synthesis of protein molecules. The small but important subclass of the PSI is represented by the agents with marked neurotropic properties, i.e., by the agents which are able to promote the effective inhibition of protein synthesis in the brain, while the same agents do not essentially influence the translation processes in the liver and all other organs of the animal (human) organism. The main aim of the present monograph is to review and analyze the data obtained recently in the course of biochemical research of several neurotropic PSI (methyl mercury, lithium salts). However, this is not the single aim of the book. Thus, besides this the present monograph deals with analysis of the general peculiarities of action of some non-neurotrophic inhibitors which are able, nevertheless, to direct a number of specific neurotrophic effects (Cordycepin, tRNA).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)