抄録
The distribution of mercury and selenium in the tissues 15 and 30 min, and 1, 4, and 24 hr after the injection of mercuric chloride (10 μmol/kg, i.p.) or sodium selenite (10 μmol/kg, s.c.), and after simultaneous injection of mercuric chloride and sodium selenite was determined by non-destructive neutron activation analysis. The molar ratio of selenium to mercury in the tissues of animals simultaneously injected with mercuric chloride and sodium selenite was calculated from the distributions of mercury and selenium in the tissues. In the case of simultaneous injection of mercuric chloride and sodium selenite, the reaction of mercury with selenium was found to occur mainly in the blood (red cells and plasma) at an equimolar ratio. When injection of mercuric chloride preceded the injection of sodium selenite by 4 hr, the reaction of mercury with selenium was found to occur mainly in the kidneys rather than in blood at an equimolar ratio. The results of this experiment demonstrated that the reaction of mercury with selenium occured at an equimolar ratio in vivo, regardless of dose conditions and reaction sites. The reaction product of mercury with selenium in the plasma was suggested to move gradually from the plasma to the liver, kidneys, and spleen.
