title: Partitioning and kinetics of methylmercury among organs in captive mink (Neovison vison): A stable isotope tracer study.
abstract: Despite the importance of methylmercury (MeHg) as a neurotoxin, we have relatively few good data on partitioning and kinetics of MeHg among organs, particularly across the blood-brain barrier, for mammals that consume large quantities of fish. The objective of this study was to determine the partition coefficients between blood and brain, liver and kidney and fur for MeHg under steady-state conditions and to measure the half-lives for MeHg in these organs. Captive mink (Neovison vison) were fed a diet enriched with two stable isotopes of Hg, Me(199)Hg and Me(201)Hg for a period of 60 days. After a period of 10 days the diet was changed to contain only Me(201)Hg so that, between days 10 and 60, we were able to measure both uptake and elimination rates from blood, brain, liver kidney and fur. Liver and kidney response was very rapid, closely following changes in blood concentrations but there was a small lag time between peak blood concentrations and peak brain concentrations. Half-lives for MeHg were 15.4, 10.2 and 13.4 days for brain, liver and kidney, respectively. There was no measurable conversion of the MeHg to inorganic Hg (IHg) in the brain over the 60 day period, unlike in liver and kidney.
authors: School of the Environment, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada; Water Quality Centre, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada. Electronic address: devans@trentu.ca.
authors: R Douglas
authors: RD
authors: Evans
authors: School of the Environment, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada.
authors: Brendan
authors: B
authors: Hickie
authors: Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, Canada.
authors: Kirsti
authors: K
authors: Rouvinen-Watt
authors: School of the Environment, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada.
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000378:metabolism*; D008907:Mink / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds
keywords: Distribution; Kinetics; Mercury; Mink; Stable isotopes