Indicators of the antioxidant system in the long-term period after acute mercury nitrate poisoning in the experiment

Abstract

The article presents experimental data on the state of the antioxidant system in red blood cells of white outbred rats 1 and 3 months after acute mercury nitrate poisoning with a semilethal dose. It has been established that this form of intoxication is accompanied by pronounced changes in the state of the antioxidant defense system in erythrocytes of poisoned animals (a decrease in the concentration of reduced glutathione, a decrease in the activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, and an increase in the concentration of lipid peroxidation products).It has been shown that the mercury content in the blood of experimental animals remains elevated during the entire study period.The results obtained indicate the importance of impaired functioning of the antioxidant system in the implementation of long-term consequences of acute mercury poisoning. The reasons for the occurrence of these biochemical shifts and their role in the development of the long-term cytotoxic effects of mercury nitrate are discussed.