Abstract
Distribution and retention of mercury in the presence of zinc, cadmium or copper was studied in rats exposed repeatedly to these metals. Whole-body retention of mercury under influence of zinc and cadmium was slightly lower than that observed in animals treated with mercury alone; however, copper decreased whole-body retention by over 50%. Combined administration of mercury and various metals changed the distribution of mercury in the subcellar fractions of kidney and liver. Zinc, cadmium and copper decreased incorporation of mercury in metallothionein-like proteins (MT) in the kidney; however, in the liver mercury was bound mainly by MT. It seems very likely that one metal may induce changes in the distribution of another by processes other than a single displacement interaction.
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