Organ and Subcellular Distribution of Mercury in Rats in the Presence of Cadmium, Zinc, Copper, and Sodium Selenite

Abstract

AbstractAs environmental exposure is never restricted to a single metal, it is inevitable that research frequently includes the study of interaction between toxic and other metals [1].The simplest conceivable interaction mechanism would be a direct chemical reaction leading to the formation of complex or compound which reduces the biological availability of the element involved. The formation of such compounds could partly explain the protective effect of selenium against mercury [2]. Results of numerous investigations [3-5] have demonstrated that the amounts of selenium administered determine the distribution of inorganic mercury in rats’ tissues. Selenium increases the concentration of mercury in the liver and decreases it in the kidneys. Sodium selenite decreases the content of mercury mainly in the low-molecular proteins both in the kidney and liver and eliminates the stimulating effect of mercury on synthesis of metallothioneinlike proteins in the kidneys [3, 6, 7]. Selenium also decreases the toxici...