Distribution in renal cell fractions of sulfhydryl groups in rats on normal and sucrose diets and its relation to renal mercury distribution after mercuric chloride injection.

Abstract

Most rats fed a diet of sucrose and vitamins for 3 or more weeks survive intravenous injection of mercuric chloride, 3 mg/kg, a dose uniformly lethal to rats on a normal diet. It is found that the sulfhydryl content of the ‘soluble’ fraction obtained from kidney by means of the centrifuge is greater in sucrose-fed than in chow-fed rats. Three hours after injection of mercuric chloride the sucrose-fed as compared with the chow-fed rat shows the same total mercury content in kidney, but a much higher content in the ‘soluble’ fraction and much lower contents in the ‘nuclear’ and ‘granular’ fractions. The increase in resistance to the toxicity of mercuric chloride seen in sucrose-fed rats may be related to a decrease in the binding of mercury by sulfhydryl groups of the renal nuclei and mitochondria. Severe protein depletion may be causally involved in producing the state of increased resistance.