Abstract
Effect of selenium on metabolism of mercury compounds was examined, as it had been confirmed that selenium had a protective effect against the toxicity of mercuric chloride and methylmercuric chloride in rats. In rats receiving mercuric chloride with selenium, the mercury content in the liver was significantly increased compared with that in rats receiving mercuric chloride alone, and the selenium content in the liver was also increased compared with that in rats receiving selenium alone. The molar ratio of mercury to selenium in the liver was nearly 1.0. These results suggested that selenium interacted directly with mercuric chloride to form less toxic products in the rat liver. In rats receiving methylmercuric chloride with selenium, the percentage of methylmercury contentin total mercury in the liver was decreased compared with their percentage in rats receiving methylmercuric chloride alone.
