Effect of methylmercury on the activity of glutathione peroxidase in rat liver.
The effect of methylmercury on the activity of glutathione peroxidase in rat liver was studied in vivo. A daily dose of 10mg methylmercuric chloride/kg body weight was administered subcutaneously to 15 male Wistar rats for 10 days, and the glutathione peroxidase activity in the liver was measured to compare with the control activity. A marked decrease was observed in the glutathione peroxidase activity in the experimental animals, which measured as low as 40% in comparison to that in the control animals. It can be speculated that the inhibition of glutathione peroxidase activity plays a significant role in the development of mercury toxicity and that the protective effect of selenium and vitamin E on the mercury intoxication might be partly due to preserving the glutathione peroxidase activity in the antioxidative defense mechanisms.
D000818:Animals; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012643:Selenium / Q000494:pharmacology
D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D012643:Selenium; C004925:methylmercuric chloride