Effect of zinc, cadmium or copper on mercury distribution in rat tissues.
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.
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*
D002104:Cadmium; D003300:Copper; D008628:Mercury; D015032:Zinc