Urinary excretion of metallothionein-I and its degradation product in rats treated with cadmium, copper, zinc or mercury.
The metallothionein-I (MT-I) content of urine following administration of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg) or zinc (Zn) to rats was determined by radioimmunoassay. Urinary excretion of MT-I was increased significantly after injection of each of these metals. Fractionation of urine from Cd-treated rats on Sephadex G-50 showed a single immunoreactive component corresponding to native MT-I, whereas in urine from Cu, Zn or Hg-treated rats 2 immunoreactive components corresponding to MT-I and a possible degradation production were observed. Since a comparable low molecular weight component corresponding to this degradation product was not detected to the same extent on fractionation of plasma from Cu-exposed rat, it seemed to be derived from degradation of MT in the kidney.
Sato
M
M
Division of Environmental Pollution Research, Fukushima Medical College, Japan.
Nagai
Y
Y
Bremner
I
I
D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D003300:Copper / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007668:Kidney / Q000032:analysis; D008099:Liver / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000652:urine*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D015032:Zinc / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*
D002104:Cadmium; D003300:Copper; D008668:Metallothionein; D008628:Mercury; D015032:Zinc