This abstract was posted in the ny-autism Yahoo Newsgroup

Subject: New Study: Thimerosal Neurotoxicity is Associated with 
Glutathione Depletion

The Jill James paper on thimerosal neurotoxicity with glutathione
depletion has been published in the journal Neurotoxicology.  
Abstract is provided below. Good paper.

  Neurotoxicology

  Volume 26, Issue 1, January 2005, Pages 1-8

  *Thimerosal Neurotoxicity is Associated with Glutathione Depletion:
  Protection with Glutathione Precursors * *S.J. James, William Slikker
  III, Stepan Melnyk, Elizabeth New, Marta Pogribna and Stefanie
  Jernigan *

  ^1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical
     Sciences and Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, 
     Little Rock, AR 72202, USA
  ^2 Division of Biochemical Toxicology, National Center for
     Toxicological Research, Jefferson, AR 72079, USA

  Received 24 May 2004; accepted 28 July 2004. Available online 29
  September 2004.


  Abstract

  Thimerosol is an antiseptic containing 49.5% ethyl mercury that has
  been used for years as a preservative in many infant vaccines and in 
  flu vaccines. Environmental methyl mercury has been shown to be 
  highly neurotoxic, especially to the developing brain. Because 
  mercury has a high affinity for thiol (sulfhydryl (single bondSH)) 
  groups, the thiol-containing antioxidant, glutathione (GSH), provides 
  the major intracellular defense against mercury-induced neurotoxicity. 
  Cultured neuroblastoma cells were found to have lower levels of GSH 
  and increased  sensitivity to thimerosol toxicity compared to 
  glioblastoma cells that  have higher basal levels of intracellular GSH. 
  Thimerosal-induced cytotoxicity was associated with depletion of 
  intracellular GSH in both cell lines. Pretreatment with 100 /μ/M 
  glutathione ethyl ester or /N/-acetylcysteine (NAC), but not methionine, 
  resulted in a significant increase in intracellular GSH in both cell 
  types. Further, pretreatment of the cells with glutathione ethyl ester 
  or NAC prevented cytotoxicity with exposure to 15 /μ/M Thimerosal. 
  Although Thimerosal has been recently removed from most children's 
  vaccines, it is still present in flu vaccines given to pregnant women, 
  the elderly, and to children in developing countries. The potential 
  protective effect of GSH or NAC against mercury toxicity warrants further 
  research as possible adjunct therapy to individuals still receiving 
  Thimerosal-containing vaccinations.