Interaction of methylmercury and selenium in rat tissue homogenates formation of bis (methylmercuric) selenide and it's formation mechanism.

Abstract

Formation of bis (methylmercuric) selenide (BMS) was investigated when methylmercury was added to the rat tissue homogenates pre-incubated with selenite, selenate, selenocystine or seleno-methionine, or added to the tissue homogenates of rats injected with these selenium compounds. When selenite was pre-incubated, a relatively large amount of BMS was formed in the homogenates of blood, kidney and brain. A similar amount of BMS was formed in the homogenates of liver and kidney when selenocystine was pre-incubated. BMS was hardly formed in all the tissue homogenates when selenate and selenomethionine were pre-incubated. While, a considerable amount of BMS was formed in the homogenates of liver and kidney when selenate and selenomethionine were injected. When different amount of methylmercury was added to the liver homogenate from the rats injected with selenite or selenocystine, it was found that BMS was formed in proportion to the concentration of methylmercury until about 30% of exogenous selenium in the homogenate was used for the formation of BMS. It was suggested that the protein-binding selenium found in the liver of rat injected with selenite or selenocystine reacted with methylmercury to form BMS.