Mercury content in healthy and cancerous tissues of human’s large intestine

Abstract

Mercury exposures in excess of dietary selenium intakes in young children can have severe neurological consequences, preventing nerve sheaths from forming properly. High mercury exposures deplete the amount of cellular selenium available for the biosynthesis of thioredoxin reductase and other selenoenzymes that prevent and reverse oxidative damage. The aim of our research was to determine the content of mercury both in cancerous and healthy tissues of the human large intestine and to compare how the levels of its accumulation depend on the location. Colon cancer tissues were taken during surgery (partial or total resection of organ) from the men and women of various age groups. The average content of mercury in the healthy tissues (control) was 0.0105 ± 0.009 ppm. The average mercury content in tissues away from the tumor was 0.0304 ± 0.047 ppm. The average mercury content in adjacent tissues was 0.037 ± 0.024 ppm. The tumor tissues of the colon had average mercury content 0.026 ± 0.018 ppm.