The influence of selenium on binding of inorganic mercury by metallothionein in the kidney and liver of the rat

Pharmacokinetics and toxicity of bismuth compounds

Inorganic bismuth salts are poorly soluble in water: solubility is influenced by the acidity of the medium and the presence of certain compounds with (hydr)oxy or sulfhydryl groups. The analysis of bismuth in biological material is not standardised and is subject to large variation; it is difficult to compare data from different studies, and older data should be approached with caution. The normal concentration of bismuth in blood is between 1 and 15 micrograms/L, but absorption from oral preparations produces a significant rise. Distribution of bismuth in the organs is largely independent of the compound administered or the route of administration: the concentration in kidney is always highest and the substance is also retained there for a long time. It is bound to a bismuth-metal binding protein in the kidney, the synthesis of which can be induced by the metal itself. Elimination from the body takes place by the urinary and faecal routes, but the exact proportion contributed by each route is still unknown. Elimination from blood displays multicompartment pharmacokinetics, the shortest half-life described in humans being 3.5 minutes, and the longest 17 to 22 years. A number of toxic effects have been attributed to bismuth compounds in humans: nephropathy, encephalopathy, osteoarthropathy, gingivitis, stomatitis and colitis. Whether hepatitis is a side effect, however, is open to dispute. Each of these adverse effects is associated with certain bismuth compounds. Bismuth encephalopathy occurred in France as an epidemic of toxicity and was associated with the intake of inorganic salts including bismuth subnitrate, subcarbonate and subgallate. In the prodromal phase patients developed problems in walking, standing or writing, deterioration of memory, changes in behaviour, insomnia and muscle cramps, together with several psychiatric symptoms. The manifest phase started abruptly and was characterised by changes in awareness, myoclonia, astasia and/or abasia and dysarthria. Patients recovered spontaneously after discontinuation of bismuth. Intestinal lavage, forced diuresis and haemodialysis have been tried without positive effects on the clinical condition of the patient or on blood bismuth concentration, and the use of dimercaprol as an antidote has produced reports of both positive and negative findings. To confirm the diagnosis of bismuth encephalopathy, it is essential to find elevated bismuth concentrations in blood, plasma, serum or CSF. A safety level of 50 micrograms/L and an alarm level of 100 micrograms/L have been suggested in the past, but no proof is available to support the choice of these levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Effect of Cd on tissue levels of Se, Zn, Fe, Co and Rb

The interaction of Cd (as CdCl2) with organic Se-compounds and SeO2 was investigated. Instrumental neutron activation analysis was applied as the analytical method. Concentrations of Se in liver and kidneys were always significantly higher after simultaneous i.p. injections with Cd and Se-compounds in comparison with single Se-injection. Cd or Se-injections also affect the content of Zn, Fe, Co and Rb in all the investigated organs. We suggested that the formation of Cd-Se-protein complexes allow for an orderly transfer of Cd to metallothionein (MT). The results showed that Cd was a very effective inducer of MT, and the maximum formation of MT was observed in the liver.

Has selenium a beneficial role in human exposure to inorganic mercury?

Laboratory experiments have indicated that selenium acts as a powerful antagonist to mercury intoxication. The literature is reviewed and from this it is concluded that mercury and selenium react in various ways. 1) The mercuric ion binds to selenium to form a biologically inert complex leading to increased body burden of both elements. This reaction seems to take place only when a threshold of mercury exposure is exceeded. 2) Selenium influences the oxidation rate of elemental mercury and as such the distribution pattern. This reaction is influenced by the nature of the antioxidative system. In species with low glutathione peroxidase activity, mercury oxidation seems decreased which can lead to an increased brain uptake. In this process there is no threshold. 3) Selenium can, as part of the antioxidative defence system, counteract mercury induced lipid peroxidation. Other antioxidants e.g. vitamin E might be just as effective. Based upon the literature it is hypothesised that to man selenium is of no benefit in cases of exposure to mercury either as mercuric mercury or as vapours. The only protection against mercury will still be a low exposure level.

Effect of various amounts of selenium on the metabolism of mercuric chloride in mice

Male ddY mice were given one injection of (1) mercury (mercuric chloride) simultaneously with various doses of selenium (sodium selenite), (2) mercury alone, or (3) various doses of selenium alone. The interaction between mercury and selenium in the liver and kidneys at 1, 5, 24, 120, and 240 hr after administration was investigated. The concentrations of mercury in the liver of mice receiving mercury and selenium simultaneously were higher than those after administration of mercury alone, while the concentrations of mercury in the kidney decreased markedly over a 1-120 hr period after administration, depending on the dose of selenium administered simultaneously with mercury. Clearly, selenium had a different effect on the accumulation of mercury in the liver and kidneys. Subcellular distribution studies revealed that mercury and selenium which were administered simultaneously were incorporated into the crude nuclear and mitochondrial fractions as stable complexes. The transport of these complexes to the kidneys seems to be limited. In addition, gel filtration of supernatant fractions of liver and kidney through a Sephadex G-75 column indicated that the proportion of mercury bound to metallothionein fraction decreased depending on the dose of selenium administered simultaneously with the mercury. This reduction was attributed to the decreased synthesis of mercury-thionein due to a reduction in the activity of Hg2+ which results from binding between mercury and selenium in the cells.

The effects of dietary selenium on cadmium binding in rat kidney and liver

In acute studies, approximately 70-90% of cytosolic cadmium in liver and kidney has been shown to be bound to metallothionein, a low-molecular weight protein. In this study, we report on the influence of dietary selenium on the distribution of cadmium in rat kidney and liver. Contrary to the findings of most acute studies, our results indicate that only a relatively small proportion of cadmium (approximately 14% in the kidney and 44% in the liver) is bound to metallothionein when cadmium is administered for 7 weeks in the diet and via osmotic minipumps to selenium-deficient rats. Feeding rats the same diet supplemented with 1.0 ppm selenium results in no detectable cadmium-metallothionein peak in the kidney, and only about 10% of the cytosolic cadmium elutes as cadmium bound to metallothionein in the liver. In animals fed the selenium-supplemented diet, the bulk of the cadmium is recovered in the low-molecular weight fraction. Dietary selenium did not significantly affect the distribution of zinc and copper in the kidney or liver.

On the influence of zinc on mercury/selenium interaction

Pretreatment with zinc does not change the wholebody retention and elimination of mercury, either when mercury is given alone, or when mercury and selenium are given simultaneously in single doses. Distributional effects are observed, however, as higher retention levels of mercury are seen in kidneys, liver and spleen after pretreatment with zinc. The clearance rate of both elements remains unaffected, indicating that zinc does not truly interact with mercury and selenium. The zinc effect is probably due to a higher initial retention of mercury, especially in the kidneys.

Changes in distribution of mercury and selenium in soluble fractions of rabbit tissues after simultaneous administration

The existing states of mercury and selenium in the blood and in soluble fractions of perfused rabbit liver and kidney were studied by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 1 hr or 24 hr after intravenous injection of mercuric chloride and/or sodium selenite. Both mercury and selenium in the plasma and stroma-free hemolysate were found to exist in the high-molecular weight fraction following simultaneous injection of mercuric chloride and sodium selenite. Patterns in gel filtration of the plasma and the stroma-free hemolysate did not show any significant change between 1 hr and 24 hr after the administration. A similar tendency as described above was obtained with the liver-soluble fraction at 24 hr after injection of mercuric chloride and sodium selenite. A possible role of the high-molecular weight complex, which is quickly formed by the interaction of mercury and selenium in blood stream, in decreasing the acute renal toxicity of inorganic mercury is discussed.

Mercury-binding, copper-zinc proteins from rat kidney. Amino acid composition, molecular wieght and metal content

Three isoforms of mercury-binding, copper-zinc protein were isolated from kidney of rats exposed to mercuric chloride. They contained 56-67 micrograms Hg/mg protein, 23.7-43.9 micrograms Cu/mg and 1.8-5.4 micrograms Zn/mg protein. Amino acid composition of isoforms 1, 2 and 3 was very similar, and also close to that of hepatic [Hg,Zn]- and [Cd,Zn]-metallothionein. Isoforms 1, 2 and 3 contained 29.7, 27.2 and 29.3 mol% cysteine, respectively. The molecular weight of isoforms 1, 2 and 3 was 6580, 6880 and 7000, respectively.

Studies on the interaction and distribution of selenite, mercuric, methoxyethyl mercuric and methyl mercuric chloride in rats. II. Analysis of the soluble proteins and the precipitates of liver and kidney homogenates

In a 5 weeks' study rats were given mercuric, methoxyethyl mercury and methyl mercury alone or together with sodium selenite. The distribution of mercury and selenium among the soluble proteins of liver and kidneys has been investigated by gel chromatography. Estimates of the ratios of the concentration of mercury (selenium) of the soluble proteins to that of the precipitates of liver and kidney homogenates are reported. The ratios seem to decrease when selenium is given concomitant with mercury. When mercuric chloride was given alone, 50% of the mercury content in the soluble kidney proteins was found in the fractions of proteins with a molecular weight similar to that of metallothionein. No mercury could be detected in these fractions when both mercuric chloride and sodium selenite were given.

Whole-body retention of mercury and selenium and histopathological and morphological studies of kidneys and liver of rats exposed repeatedly to mercuric chloride and sodium selenite

Distribution and retention of mercury and selenium was studied in rats exposed repeatedly to HgCl2 injections (0.5 mg Hg/kg to the tail vein every other day) and intragastrically to Na2SeO3 (0.5 mg Se/kg every day), applying combined and separate administration of these metals for 2 weeks. Whole-body retention of mercury in the presence of selenium was augmented by 20% and that of selenium in the presence of mercury by 4% with respect to the administered dose. Combined administration of mercuric chloride and sodium selenite brought about damage to the epithelial cells of renal proximal convolutions and formation of protein casts in their lumen. These changes had the same pattern as those induced by administration of mercuric chloride alone, but the intensity was lower. Submicroscopic studies revealed that repeated combined administration of sodium selenite and mercuric chloride did not completely abolish the mercury-induced mitochondrial swelling and contributed to chromatin destruction in the hepatocyte nuclei.

Effect of selenium on the organ distribution and binding of bismuth in rat tissues

Subcutaneous administration of bismuth, both single and multiple, resulted in deposition of this metal mainly in the kidneys which contained over 50% of the 'accessible pool' of bismuth. In the kidneys bismuth was bound mainly by the soluble fraction in which it was complexed with a protein of molecular weight of about 7000. Multiple administration of bismuth increased the level of this protein. Selenite administration brought about an increase in the 'accessible pool' of bismuth, probably due to a drop in excretion, and also changes in the organ distribution of this metal. The retention in the kidneys was diminished while those in the liver and in other tissues were augmented. These changes were accompanied by a change in the chemical form of bismuth present in the kidneys manifested by the total disappearance of the protein complex of molecular weight of 7000. The increased synthesis of this protein due to bismuth administration was not abolished completely.

Activity of glutamate and malate dehydrogenases in liver and kidneys of rats subjected to multiple exposures of mercuric chloride and sodium selenite

Rats were subjected for 2 weeks to separate and combined exposures to mercuric chloride and sodium selenite at doses of 0.5 mg Hg/kg and 0.5 mg Se/kg. The content of mercury, selenium and protein as well as the activities of glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) were determined in homogenates, mitochondria and intramitochondrial structures of the exposed animals. It was found that both separate and combined exposures of rats to mercuric chloride and sodium selenite inhibited GLDH activity and did not affect MDH activity in the examined organs. Mercury-selenium interaction brought about a decrease in the content of mercury in the intramitochondrial structures of kidneys and an increased accumulation of both elements in the outer and inner membranes of liver mitochondria. The biochemical mechanism of mercury-selenium interaction is discussed.

Binding of mercury and selenium in subcellular fractions of rat liver and kidneys following separate and joint administration

The distribution of mercury and selenium has been examined in subcellular fractions of rat liver and kidneys in prolonged exposure to HgCl2 and Na2SeO3 administered separately and simultaneously. The molar ratio of mercury and selenium concentrations in subcellular fractions of the organs examined varied considerably. Selenium displaced mercury from the soluble kidney fraction bound mainly with metallothionein to the nonhistone protein fraction of liver nuclei. The Hg-stimulated biosynthesis of metallothionein has been eliminated under the influence of selenium.