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Title Toxicity of mercuric chloride to the developing rat kidney. III. Distribution and elimination of mercury during postnatal maturation
Creator/Author Daston, G.P. ; Rehnberg, B.F. ; Hall, L.L. ; Kavlock, R.J.
Publication Date1986 Aug 01
OSTI IdentifierOSTI ID: 5089184
Other Number(s)CODEN: TXAPA
Resource TypeJournal Article
Resource RelationToxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. ; Vol/Issue: 1
Subject560305 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Vertebrates-- (-1987); MERCURY CHLORIDES-- EXCRETION;MERCURY CHLORIDES-- TISSUE DISTRIBUTION; AGE DEPENDENCE;BODY BURDEN;KIDNEYS;LIVER;NEONATES;RATS;TOXICITY
Related SubjectANIMALS;BODY;CHLORIDES;CHLORINE COMPOUNDS;CLEARANCE;DIGESTIVE SYSTEM;DISTRIBUTION;GLANDS;HALIDES;HALOGEN COMPOUNDS;MAMMALS;MERCURY COMPOUNDS;MERCURY HALIDES;ORGANS;RODENTS;VERTEBRATES
Description/Abstract Mercuric chloride is a potent nephrotoxicant in the adult rat, but has little effect on newborns.^Nephrotoxicity increases with postnatal maturation.^This study assesses the changes in tissue distribution and excretion of Hg during postnatal development.^Sprague-Dawley rats were injected sc with 5 mg/kg 203HgCl2 on postnatal Day 1, 8, 15, 22, or 29.^Hg concentration was measured in the whole body, renal cortex, medulla and papilla, liver, and subcellular fractions of liver and kidney.^Binding to cytosolic metallothionein was assessed.^Whole-body elimination of Hg was slow at the three younger age groups, as only 20% of the initial load was eliminated by 5 days after injection.^Excretion was much more rapid in the two older groups, which eliminated about half of the initial load within 5 days.^Concentration of Hg was highest in renal cortex (the principal site of Hg toxicity), and there was an age-related increase in cortical Hg concentration.^There was an age-related decrease in hepatic Hg concentration.^The high levels of metallothionein present in perinatal rat liver may protect the renal cortex from receiving a toxic dose of Hg; however, the increased concentration of hepatic Hg in newborns is insufficient to account for all of the cortical decrease.^It is probable that Hg was distributed to other tissues.^In liver and kidney cells of neonates, Hg concentration was highest in the cytosol, decreasing in an age-related manner.^This was accompanied by an age-related increase of Hg in the nuclear/mitochondrial fraction.^Hg in the cytosol was largely bound to metallothionein, although there were substantial amounts associated with very low-molecular-weight molecules and high-molecular-weight proteins.^There are significant maturational changes in the organ, cellular and subcellular distribution of Hg in the rat during the first 4 weeks after birth.
Country of PublicationUnited States
LanguageEnglish
FormatPages: 39-48
System Entry Date2001 May 13

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