title: Effect of zinc, cadmium or copper on mercury distribution in rat tissues.
abstract: Distribution and retention of mercury in the presence of zinc, cadmium or copper was studied in rats exposed repeatedly to these metals. Whole-body retention of mercury under influence of zinc and cadmium was slightly lower than that observed in animals treated with mercury alone; however, copper decreased whole-body retention by over 50%. Combined administration of mercury and various metals changed the distribution of mercury in the subcellar fractions of kidney and liver. Zinc, cadmium and copper decreased incorporation of mercury in metallothionein-like proteins (MT) in the kidney; however, in the liver mercury was bound mainly by MT. It seems very likely that one metal may induce changes in the distribution of another by processes other than a single displacement interaction.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000633:toxicity*; D003300:Copper / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008628:Mercury / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000378:metabolism; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D015032:Zinc / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D002104:Cadmium; D003300:Copper; D008628:Mercury; D015032:Zinc