Metal Concentrations In Liver Research Articles

Metals and organic contaminants in northwest Atlantic deep-sea tilefish tissues

Data are presented on trace metal and organic hydrocarbon (PCBs, PAHs, and chlorinated pesticides) concentrations in muscle, liver, gonad, and other tissues from two small 1981–1982 collections of tilefish ( Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps): from near Lydonia Canyon (on Georges Bank) and below Hudson Canyon (off New Jersey). Significant concentrations of trace metals and chlorinated hydrocarbons (PCBs and pesticides) were detected in the tissues, but these were generally within the ranges reported for other deep-sea and continental shelf fish in the Middle Atlantic Bight. Higher chlorinated hydrocarbon concentrations were detected in fish from the Lydonia Canyon area, compared with concentrations detected in the fish from below the Hudson Canyon. The difference appears to be statistically significant for most compounds and no satisfactory explanation can be suggested.

Mercury, cadmium and lead in eels and roach: The effects of size, season and locality on metal concentrations in flesh and liver

Mercury, cadmium and lead were measured in the liver and flesh of 885 eels and 338 roach collected from four sites on the Rivers Brett and Chelmer, eastern England, over the period November 1985 to November 1987. Concentrations of metals in liver and flesh of both species were highly correlated at all sites. Generally, mercury in flesh and liver was correlated with fish length in both species. There were fewer significant relationships between length and the concentrations of cadmium and lead. Site differences in mean concentrations were recorded. Seasonal variations in metal concentrations were largely restricted to eels from the more polluted Site 4. The significance of the concentrations of metals to the status of the fishery is discussed.

Comparison of effectiveness of 3 dithiocarbamates on excretion and distribution of cadmium in rats and mice

Sodium N- benzyl- D - glucamine dithiocarbamate (BGD), sodium N-p- methylbenzyl- D - glucamine dithiocarbamate (MBGD), and sodium N-p- isopropylbenzyl- D - glucamine dithiocarbamate (PBGD), which were recently synthesized, were evaluated for their efficacy in the distribution and excretion of cadmium in rats and mice exposed to cadmium. Rats and mice were injected i.p. with 109CdCl 2 (1 mg Cd/kg and 2 μCi 109Cd/one animal) and 3 days later, they were treated with the dithiocarbamates (400 μmol/kg) every other day for 2 weeks. These dithiocarbamates were effective in removing cadmium from the body without increasing the cadmium content in the kidney. After treatment with BGD, MBGD, and PBGD, cadmium was excreted mainly in the feces and the effect of MBGD and PBGD on the fecal excretion of cadmium was much larger than that of BGD. The treatment with these dithiocarbamates did not cause the redistribution of cadmium to brain, testes, and heart in rats and mice. The treatment of mice with PBGD decreased the concentrations of essential metals in liver, kidney, and brain. The extent of acute toxicity of the dithiocarbamates in mice was in the order PBGD > MBGD > BGD.

Multielemental assay of tissues of deceased smelter workers and controls

Concentrations of 23 elements in lung, liver and kidney from deceased smelter workers are compared with those from rural and urban controls. The analyses were made by neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Significantly higher levels of antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lanthanum, lead and selenium were found in the smelter workers lungs ( n = 85) compared with the rural controls ( n = 15). Significantly higher concentrations of antimony, arsenic and lead were observed among all smelter workers compared with urban controls ( n = 10). The highest increase, about 11-fold, was found for antimony in smelter workers compared with non-exposed controls. A six-fold increase was noted for arsenic. Workers who died from lung cancer ( n = 7) had the lowest lung selenium content relative to concentrations of other metals, both compared with other disease categories among the workers (GI-cancer, other cancers, cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, other causes) and with the two control groups. The low lung selenium concentrations may have influenced the development of lung cancer. The highest lung tissue levels of cadmium were found in the lung cancer group. Smokers and ex-smokers were over-represented in this group and tobacco is a known cadmium source. The highest, or one of the highest, lung values for some of the other metals (antimony, arsenic, cadmium, lanthanum and lead) were observed in one or several of the lung cancer cases. Metal concentrations in liver (metabolism) and kidney (excretion) reflect the systemic distribution. The highest cadmium levels in the liver and the lowest selenium content in the kidney were found among the lung cancer cases. A multifactorial genesis for the development of lung cancer is concluded from this study, which visualizes the need for systematic health surveillance and follow-ups both in active and retired workers.

Effect of cadmium on essential metal concentrations in testis, liver and kidney of five inbred strains of mice

To compare the organ injuries by cadmium administration among inbred strains of mice, CdCl 2 was injected subcutaneously into C3H/He, BALB/c, DBA/2, CBA/J and C57BL/6 strains at a dose of 30 μmol/kg body weight, and the changes of 6 essential metal [sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn)] concentrations were determined at 6, 24 and 48 h. Testicular Cd concentrations at 6 h in DBA/2 and CBA/J were significantly higher than those in the other 3 strains. Marked alterations in testicular metal concentrations (increases in Na, Ca and Fe and decreases in K and Mg) were observed in the 2 strains. At 48 h, hepatic Cd concentration in BALB/c was decreased from the higher level at 24 h and an abrupt increase in renal Cd concentration was detected. Changes in hepatic essential metal concentrations at 48 h in BALB/c were in the same direction as those in the testis of DBA/2 and CBA/J. As a whole, C3H/He, BALB/c and C57BL/6 strains showed more remarkable alterations in hepatic essential metal concentrations, except Zn level, than DBA/2 and CBA/J which showed larger increases in Zn concentration (probably due to larger metallothionein induction). It was suggested from the data that C3H/He, BALB/c and C57BL/6 were strains sensitive to the hepatotoxicity of Cd and that DBA/2 and CBA/J were susceptible to the testicular toxicity of Cd.

Accumulation de quelques metaux lourds (Cd, Cu, Pb et Zn) chez l'eperlan ( Osmerus mordax) preleve sur la rive Nord de l'Estuaire du Saint-Laurent

Heavy metals in trace amounts are normal constituents of marine organisms. At sufficiently high concentrations, heavy metals are toxic to living organisms and so it is important to know by how much their concentration may be increased before effects on marine or estuarine populations can be detected or commercial species become unsuitable as food. A method of removing metals is by storage in a particular tissue. Several different sites for storing metals were investigated and concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were examined in muscle, liver and gonads of the smelt ( Osmerus mordax) from the North shore of the St Lawrence estuary. Copper and zinc are constituents of several enzymes and are absolutely essential for normal growth and development, while cadmium and lead are not known to have necessary physiological function. A modified wet digestion procedure was used to prepare biological samples for the determination of trace elements by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry procedure, using calibration standards made up in a matrix of similar acidity (Table 1). NBS reference material bovine liver was analyzed along with the samples and the results were within the specified tolerance (Table 2). Analyses were reported on a dry weight basis (Table 3) and the correlations with total body weight were determined by regression analysis. Copper (range 0.3–3.3 μg g −1) and zinc (range 19–38 μg g −1) in muscle fillets were found to be negatively correlated with total body weight (Fig. 1). Apparent decreasing concentrations in these two metal levels in muscle sample with increasing body weight were possibly due to factor such as dilution with growth. Growth may dilute metal concentrations in an organism if tissue is added faster than metal. Livers and gonads contained greater levels of the four metals than somatic muscle. Liver metal concentrations of Zn (range 29–108 μg g −1) and Cd (range 0.06–0.37 μg g −1) increased with total body weight. All equations fit data at P < 0.01 (Fig. 2). Positive correlations between size and metal concentrations suggest that net uptake may occur. Inessential, slowly exchanging metals such as Cd appear to reflect an uptake which tend to become a cumulative process (age dependence of concentrations). The occurrence of insignificant correlation between liver concentrations of Cu (mean value: 4 μg g −1) and environmental concentrations of this metal was consistent with equilibration. Since fish are known to possess the metal binding protein metallothionein, a sequestering agent, detoxification of these metals in fish liver may be by sequestration rather than elimination. Increasing metal concentrations in liver may represent storage of sequestered products in that organ. In the gonads, no significant relationship exists between total body weight and trace metal contents. Results of t-test indicated that females had significantly greater Cu and Zn concentrations, but no significant difference existed between males and females for Cd concentrations (Figs 3 and 4). Thus, the relation between concentration and total body weight appears to be specific as to the species, tissues analyzed and environmental conditions. The comparison of metal concentrations in fish to assess variations in contamination levels requires understanding the relationship between metal concentration and body size within each population.

Effects of diethyldithiocarbamate and nickel chloride on glutathione and trace metal concentrations in rat liver

Concentrations of reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and 4 trace metals (Ni, Cu, Mn, Zn) were measured in livers from rats treated with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC, 0.67 or 1.33 mmol/ kg, i.m.) and NiCl 2 (0.25 or 0.50 mmol/kg, s.c.), singly or in combination. In rats treated with DDC or NiCl 2, singly, hepatic GSH was diminished at 4 h and returned to control levels (or slightly above) at 17 h. In rats that received DDC plus NiCl 2, hepatic GSH was not diminished at 4 h and was increased 1.4–1.8-fold at 17 h. Hepatic GSSG was diminished at 4 h after NiCl 2 treatment and returned to control values at 17 h; hepatic GSSG did not differ from control values at 4 h or 17 h after treatment with DDC, alone or combined with NiCl 2. Hepatic Ni was below the detection limit (∼ 20 nmol/g) in control and DDC-treated rats; hepatic Ni was increased to 53 ± 26 (S.D.) nmol/g at 17 h after treatment with NiCl 2 alone, and was increased 6-fold (308 ± 63 nmol/g in rats that received Ni plus DDC. Under the same conditions, hepatic Zn was increased 33% or 41%, respectively, in rats that received NiCl 2 or DDC, singly, and was not further increased by combined treatment; hepatic Cu and Mn concentrations were unaffected by NiCl 2 or DDC, singly, but were diminished in rats that received NiCl 2 and DDC. This study suggests: (a) that increased hepatic uptake of Ni is largely responsible for the synergistic induction of heme oxygenase activity in rats treated with NiCl 2 and DDC; and (b) that increased hepatic uptake of Zn contributes to the induction of hepatic metallothionein by NiCl 2 and DDC.

Heavy Metal Concentrations in Muscle, Liver and Kidney Tissue of Striped Dolphin,Stenella coeruleoalba, and Their Variations with Body Length, Weight, Age and Sex

The concentrations of Fe, mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cd and Hg in the muscle, liver and kidney of fifty nine striped dolphins captured during 1977 ~ 1980 were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The levels of most the metals examined were higher in the liver than the other tissues, except for the highest renal Cd. The frequency distribution of the metal concentrations was mostly log-normal. For all of the organs, correlation of the metal concentrations to the body length, weight and age was positive for Fe, Pb, Ni, Cd and Hg, and negative for Mn, Zn and Cu. A higher correlation of the concentrations of Fe, ??, Zn and Cu to the body length and weight than to the age indicates that the metabolic turnover is more important than age or exposure time in determining the levels of those metals. Whilst the concentration of Pb, Ni, Cd and Hg correlated closely with the age of dolphins, and this suggests that the age or exposure time is a dominant factor for accumulation of these metals.The concentrations o...

Relation between metal and glutathione concentrations in mouse liver after cadmium, zinc or copper loading

Cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), and cupric chlorides (Cu) were injected i.p. into male mice to examine the relationship between the level of the metals and that of reduced glutathione (GSH) in liver. The injected metals increased in concentration rapidly and attained the highest level at 1 day, while the GSH level decreased rapidly and reached the lowest level at 12 h by Cd and Zn, and at 2 days by Cu injection. These findings suggest that cysteine utilized for the induced metallothionein, which binds the injected metals in the liver, is supplied from hepatic glutathione.

Heavy metal concentrations in muscle, liver and kidney tissue of striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba, and their variations with body length, weight, age and sex.

The concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cd and Hg in the muscle, liver and kidney of fifty nine striped dolphins captured during 1977- 1980 were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The levels of most the metals examined were higher in the liver than the other tissues, except for the highest renal Cd. The frequency distribution of the metal concentrations was mostly log-normal. For all of the organs, correlation of the metal concentrations to the body length, weight and age was positive for Fe, Pb, Ni, Cd and Hg, and negative for Mn, Zn and Cu. A higher correlation of the concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu to the body length and weight than to the age indicates that the metabolic turnover is more important than age or exposure time in determining the levels of those metals. Whilst the concentration of Pb, Ni, Cd and Hg correlated closely with the age of dolphins, and this suggests that the age or exposure time is a dominant factor for accumulation of these metals. The concentrations of Pb, Ni, Cd and Hg in the muscle, liver and kidney increased with age until 1 year, leveled off through 1 to 18 years by physical dilution with increased body weight, and thereafter steadily increased year by year, but in case of Hg such physical dilution effects were not significant. Relatively wide variation of the metal concentrations in the pup and 8-25 years females was probably due to the effects of suckling, and of parturition and lactation, respectively.

Uptake and binding of cadmium and mercury to metallothionein in rat hepatocyte primary cultures.

The administration of inorganic Cd and Hg in vivo has been shown to result in markedly different metal concentrations in rat liver. Primary cultures of rat hepatocytes were utilized to gain insight into the dispositional differences between these chemically similar metals. Hepatocyte monolayer cultures were exposed to several concentrations of Cd or Hg (3, 10 and 30mum) in serum-containing medium for 30min. The cells were then washed and incubated in fresh medium for the remainder of the experiment. Hepatocytes exposed to Cd accumulated significantly more metal than hepatocytes exposed to equimolar concentrations of Hg. In cells exposed to 3mum-Cd there was an initial loss of Cd from the hepatocytes when placed in fresh medium, followed by a gradual re-uptake of metal, concomitant with increased binding to metallothionein. In hepatocytes exposed to 3 and 10mum-Cd, 87 and 77% of the intracellular Cd was bound to metallothionein within 24h. Loss of Hg from hepatocytes pulsed with 30mum-Hg was also observed upon the addition of fresh medium and continued for the duration of the experiment. No time-dependent increase in Hg binding to metallothionein was observed. A maximum of about 10% of the intracellular Hg was found associated with metallothionein in hepatocytes exposed to 30mum-Hg. Studies utilizing [(35)S]cysteine incorporation indicated significant increases in the amount of metallothionein synthesized in hepatocytes exposed to 3 and 10mum-Cd (300% of control value) and 30mum-Hg (150% of control value) 24h after metal pulsing. Time-course studies revealed a 6-12h lag in metallothionein synthesis, followed by a significant elevation in [(35)S]cysteine incorporation into metallothionein between 12 and 24h. These studies suggest that (a) isolated hepatocytes differentiate between Cd and Hg and preferentially accumulate the former, and (b) Cd strongly stimulates the induction of, and preferentially binds to, metallothionein, whereas Hg induces weakly, and does not preferentially bind to, metallothionein.

Effects of Hypolimnetic Discharge on Fish Health Below a Reservoir

Rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri), brown trout (Salmo trutta), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) from two locations in the Buford Dam, Georgia, tailwater and trout from a hatchery that used the tailwater as a water supply were examined for infections, lesions, and liver metal concentrations. Nine genera of parasites, 19 species of bacteria, and one species of virus infected the fish. River fish had no clinical signs of disease resulting from the pathogens. In the hatchery some deaths were caused by bacterial infections, but many moribund fish were not infected. Bacterial isolations from river fish were most frequent in fish collected near the dam and near the date of lowest dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration. Microscopic lesions were found in the gills, liver, spleen, and trunk kidney of many of the fish that did not have bacterial infections. Rainbow trout were most affected by the conditions in the tailwater and hatchery, and brook trout and yellow perch were least affected. Occurrence of lesions that indicated exposure to a toxicant corresponded to increases in iron and manganese concentrations of the water, but not to copper concentrations. Manganese levels in liver were high compared to published reports. Copper concentrations in liver varied with fish species, and those of brook trout were lower than published values for this species exposed to “no effect” copper levels. Liver concentrations of zinc and cadmium did not indicate exposure to high levels of these metals. Copper, zinc, iron, manganese, and DO concentrations of the tailwater in this study or previous reports were levels that indicated possible harmful effects to fish. Acclimation to the tailwater conditions may have allowed survival of fish in the river. Low pH, oxidation-reduction potential, and DO concentrations, and high metal concentrations resulted from release of hypolimnetic water from the impoundment. Most bioassay data are not reliable for prediction of toxicity in tailwaters because of the water characteristics, acclimation of fish, and possible synergistic actions.