Accumulation and tissue distribution of mercury in the guinea pig during subacute administration of methyl mercury

Iverson, F.; Downie, R.H.; Trenholm, H. L.; Paul, Cheruvathur Amita

doi:10.1016/0041-008x(74)90173-2

Cited by 29 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The reduction with SnCl 2 and analysis of total tissue Hg content by coldvapor AAS were performed with automated equipment (Hitachi model Z-8200 and HFS-2 hydride formation system). The reducing agents and apparatus were the same as reported (Iverson et al 1974) except that 1.0 ml of diluted digest was placed in the modified Erlenmeyer flask, then 4.0 ml of reducing mixture was added to the closed system through a flexible plastic tube sealed into the ball-joint cap and connected to a syringe-type automatic pipette.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurotoxicity of mercury sulfide in the vestibular ocular reflex system of guinea pigs

Chuu

Young

Liu

et al. 2001

Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology

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A traditional Chinese mineral medicine, cinnabar, naturally occurring mercuric sulfide (HgS), is still occasionally prescribed, but the neurotoxic effects of HgS have not been elucidated. In this paper, an animal model of the purified HgS intoxication was established in guinea pigs in order to study neurotoxicity and pathophysiology of the vestibular ocular reflex system (VOR). Guinea pigs were dosed with HgS by gastric gavage (0.01, 0.1 and 1.0 g/kg per day) for 7 consecutive days. By means of caloric testing coupled with the electronystagmographic (ENG) recording in guinea pigs, we have found that HgS at a dose of 0.1 g/kg induced reversible caloric hypofunction pattern and at a higher dose of 1.0 g/kg induced irreversible hypofunction of caloric test. Monitoring the mercury contents of various tissues (blood, kidney, liver and cerebellum) by continuous flow and cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) revealed that a certain amount of HgS could be absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and was detectable in these tissues. In addition to the induced dysfunction of VOR system, HgS also caused disturbance of motor performance in guinea pigs. In enzyme assay, Na+/K+-ATPase activity of cerebellum was also significantly inhibited by HgS. Morphological studies showed partial cell loss only in the cerebellar Purkinje cell layer, but not in the granule cell layer, nor in the vestibular labyrinth. All of these findings suggest that cerebellar Purkinje cells are the sensitive target site responsible for HgS-inducing dysfunctions of both VOR system and the motor performance in guinea pigs. Thus, it is concluded that caloric test coupled with ENG recording in VOR system is certainly a sensitive biomarker for monitoring the neurotoxicity of HgS.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurotoxicity of mercury sulfide in the vestibular ocular reflex system of guinea pigs

Chuu

Young

Liu

et al. 2001

Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology

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“…and amino groups. 36,37 Both inorganic Hg and MeHg have been found to exhibit a high affinity for SH groups, 38,39 favouring the synthesis of metalloproteids forming less or more stable mercury compounds with proteins. 38,39 Thus, mercury is invariably found in cells and tissues attached to thiol-containing molecules such as protein or small molecular weight with thiols such as cysteine and glutathione.…”

Section: (D) Mercury-selenium-trace Elements Interactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of mercury–selenium interaction in chicken liver by size exclusion chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Cabañero

Madrid

Cámara

2005

J. Anal. At. Spectrom.

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In order to estimate metal distribution patterns in biomolecules of different sizes and their possible modification after long-term Hg and Se exposition, multi-elemental distribution of the cytosols of chicken livers were evaluated. For this purpose 72 chickens were fed under different controlled conditions. Chickens were exposed to Hg(II) and MeHg added to feed with or without selenium supplementation. Size-exclusion chromatography with ICP-MS detection was developed for multielemental (S, P, Cu, Zn, Se, Mn, Fe and Hg) speciation in chicken liver cytosol and optimisation of the separation parameters (25 mM Tris-HCl buffer, 50 mM KCl, pH 6.8, 1 ml min À1 ) was carried out. The liver extracts were injected into the column four times each and the variation between the runs was small (RSD o10%). The recovery of the chromatographic step varied between 82-102%, indicating some interaction between the liver extracts and the column material. S, Cu, Zn, Fe, Se and Hg appeared mainly associated to high and medium-molecular weight species (4300-45 kDa), whereas Mn is mainly associated to high (116 kDa) and low (0.03 kDa) molecular weight species and P is mainly associated to low molecular weight species (5.5 kDa). Changes in the subcellular distribution and distribution patters caused by long-term Hg-Se administration have been discussed.

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“…The reduction with SnCl2 and total tissue mercury content analysis by cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometry were performed with automated equipment (Hitachi, Model Z-8200 and HFS-2 Hydride formation system). The reducing agents and apparatus were the same as reported (Iverson et al, 1974) except that 1.0 ml of diluted digest was placed in the modified Erlenmeyer flask. Then 4.0 ml of the reduced mixture was added to the closed system through a flexible plastic tube sealed into the ball-joint cap and connected to a syringe type automatic pipette.…”

Section: Determination Of Mercury Accumulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurotoxic Mechanism of Cinnabar and Mercuric Sulfide on the Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex System of Guinea Pigs

Young

Chuu²,

Liu³

et al. 2002

Toxicological Sciences

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Cinnabar, a naturally occurring mercuric sulfide (HgS), has been combined with Chinese herbal medicine as a sedative for more than 2000 years. To date, its neurotoxic effect on the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) system has not been reported. By means of a caloric test coupled with electronystagmographic recordings, the effect of commercial HgS and cinnabar on the VOR system of guinea pigs was studied. HgS or cinnabar was administered orally (1.0 g/kg) to Hartley-strain guinea pigs once daily for 7 consecutive days. A battery of electrophysiological, biochemical, and histopathological examinations were performed. The results showed that HgS induced a 60% caloric response abnormality (40% caloric hyperfunction and 20% hypofunction), whereas the abnormal responses appeared to be more severe (six out of six) in the cinnabar group. The Hg contents of whole blood and cerebellum were increased and correlated to their neurotoxic effects on the VOR system, indicating that both insoluble HgS and cinnabar could be absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and distributed to the cerebellum. Although the vestibular labyrinth revealed no remarkable change under light microscopy, loss of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum was detected, and the enzymatic Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase activity of cerebellum (a higher inhibitory center of the VOR system) was significantly inhibited by HgS and cinnabar. Moreover, cerebellar nitric oxide (NO) production was increased significantly. Hence, we tentatively conclude that the increased Hg contents in the cerebellum following oral administration of HgS and cinnabar were responsible, at least in part, for the detrimental neurotoxic effect on the VOR system. Potentially, decreasing Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase activity and increasing NO production within the cerebellar regulatory center are postulated to mediate this VOR dysfunction caused by the mercurial compounds and cinnabar.

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Accumulation and tissue distribution of mercury in the guinea pig during subacute administration of methyl mercury

Cited by 29 publications

References 9 publications

Neurotoxicity of mercury sulfide in the vestibular ocular reflex system of guinea pigs

Neurotoxicity of mercury sulfide in the vestibular ocular reflex system of guinea pigs

Study of mercury–selenium interaction in chicken liver by size exclusion chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Neurotoxic Mechanism of Cinnabar and Mercuric Sulfide on the Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex System of Guinea Pigs

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