title: Mercury organotropism in feral European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax).
abstract: The knowledge of mercury (Hg) burdens in a wide set of tissues and organs of exposed fish is crucial to understand the internal distribution dynamics and thus predict Hg bioavailability and implications for ecosystem and human health. Total Hg was measured in six tissues of Dicentrarchus labrax captured along an estuarine contamination gradient, revealing the following pattern: liver > kidney > muscle > brain ≈ gills > blood. All of the tissues displayed intersite differences, although brain and muscle seemed to better reflect the extent of contamination. Hg speciation showed that liver presented higher concentrations than muscle for both organic and inorganic forms. Furthermore, liver seemed to exert a protective action in relation to Hg accumulation in the other tissues and organs. This protection seems to be particularly marked in relation to the brain, whereas liver is assisted in that action by kidney and muscle.
authors: CESAM and Departamento de Química, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal. cmieiro@ua.pt
authors: Cláudia Leopoldina
authors: CL
authors: Mieiro
authors: Mário
authors: M
authors: Pacheco
authors: Maria Eduarda
authors: ME
authors: Pereira
authors: Armando Costa
authors: AC
authors: Duarte
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001492:Bass / Q000378:metabolism*; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D017669:Mercury Compounds / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D011174:Portugal; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017669:Mercury Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury