The effects of mercury chloride (HgCl2) administration with different intervals on kidney damage in mice (Mus Musculus)

Abstract

Introduction: Inorganic mercury could cause acute toxicity and absorbed through the digestive system and distributed throughout all tissues of the body, with a significant portion accumulating in kidneys and gallbladder. Objective: This study aims to investigate the influence of mercury chloride (HgCl2) administration at doses contained in rice clams (Corbula faba) from the Kenjeran coast in Surabaya, Indonesia, with varying administration intervals on kidney damage in mice. In this research, 24 male CBR strain mice, aged three months, were randomly divided into four groups, each consisting of six replicates. The groups included Control P0 (without mercury), Group P1 (mercury administration once a day), Group P2 (mercury administration twice a day), and Group P3 (mercury administration three times a day). Mercury administration was carried out orally for 52 days. Data analysis was conducted using non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis statistical test, followed by a Z-test with a significance level of 5%. Results: Mercury chloride (HgCl2) administration at a dose of 0.6418 ppm with varying administration intervals resulted in kidney damage characterized by interstitial hemorrhage, degeneration of proximal convoluted tubules, degeneration of distal convoluted tubules, and glomerulonephritis. Administration of mercury three times a day (P3) led to the highest kidney damage, which was not significantly different from the group receiving mercury twice a day (P2), while daily administration of mercury (P1) did not significantly differ from the control group (P0). Conclusion: It can be concluded that administration of HgCl2 could increase decrease kidney damage (p<0.05) and administration of mercury three times a day led to the highest kidney damage.