title: Racemic-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid for inorganic mercury mobilization in rats.
abstract: The efficiency of racemic-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (rac-DMSA) compared with meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (meso-DMSA) in mobilizing inorganic mercury was evaluated in female rats. Chelators were administered orally at a dose of 0.5, 1.0 or 2.0 mmol kg-1 on four consecutive days, 5 days after a single intraperitoneal 203Hg injection (with 0.5 mg HgCl2 kg-1). Both chelators reduced 203Hg retention in whole body and kidney and at higher doses also in the liver. Racemic-DMSA was more efficient at lower dose levels and equal to meso-DMSA at the highest dose level. Kidney retention decreased after rac-DMSA to 27, 10 and 10% of controls and after meso-DMSA to 68, 39 and 10% of control values at the 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mmol kg-1 dose level, respectively. Since meso-DMSA is already approved for human use, its stereoisomeric form, rac-DMSA, deserves further attention for treatment of mercury poisoning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mineral Metabolism, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Republic of Croatia.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kostial
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Restek-Samarzija
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blanusa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piasek
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Prester
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001822:Body Burden; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008628:Mercury / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D004113:Succimer / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D002614:Chelating Agents; D004113:Succimer; D008628:Mercury