Mercury Biodistribution in Rats after Chronic Exposure to Mercury Chloride

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the distribution of mercury in rats after controlled chronic exposure to three different doses of HgCl 2 for 30 days. Samples of blood, brain, liver, testis, heart, and kidneys were collected for mercury determination. Although the rats were exposed to different doses, the Hg levels in blood were similar among the groups under study. However, the distribution of mercury in the organs have substantially differed between low and high doses. There was a significant tendency to high deposition in the liver and kidney. The deposition profile in the tissues suggests that the level of mercury remains relatively low in blood while it is deposited at preferential sites such as liver and kidney, demonstrating that, at least at the doses studied, the screening for Hg exposure is unreliable by blood sample analysis.

The Antioxidant Effect of Medicago sativa L. (Alfalfa) Ethanolic Extract against Mercury Chloride (HgCl2) Toxicity in Rat Liver and Kidney: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study

“…The results of this study showed that the accumulation of mercury in kidney and liver tissue increased in groups receiving mercury. The concentration of mercury in the blood was variable and unreliable [ 2 ]. This could be due to its excellent ability to clear toxins and compounds from the kidney and increase blood flow to the kidney [ 34 ].…”

“…Mercury dissolves in serum, attaches to the membrane of red blood cells, and is transmitted to the brain. Mineral mercury crosses the placenta and the blood-brain barrier and easily accumulates in the fetal brain [ 2 ]. In addition to the brain, mercury can accumulate in the thyroid, myocardium, muscles, adrenal glands, liver, kidneys, sweat glands, pancreas, enterocytes, salivary glands, testes, and prostate whereas impairs the function of these organs [ 3 , 4 ].…”