Experimental Studies on Mercury Poisoning with the Use of Hg(203)(NO(3))(2) Ⅰ. A study on mercury combined with tissue protein and uncombined mercury

For the purpose of determining the distribution of mercury in various organs in mercury poisoning, above all, whether mercury is combined with tissue protein or not, the radio isotope mercury, Hg(203)(NO(3))(2) in the dose of 6,000,000 c.p.m./1.0kg body weight (0.13 mg/kg of mercury) was injected into the dorsal muscle of guinea pigs, and the distribution of isotopic mercury was estimated in kidney, liver, spleen, heart, brain, blood cells, serum and blood plasma both before and after dialysis after 24 hours of the injection. As the result the following conclusion was drawn. 1. Some of the isotope, Hg(203)(NO(3))(2), so injected into guinea pigs, has been found combined with organ protein and blood protein in a non-dialyzable state, while the other portion exists free without combining with protein in a dialyzable state. 2. The mercury combined with protein (the percentage calculated as radio-activity of the material after dialysis / radio-activity of the material before dialysis) differs considerably between the organs and the blood. The ratio of mercury combined with protein is found in the descending order of heart > kidney > liver > spleen, revealing all of those combined with more than 70 per cent of mercury to organ protein in a non-dialyzable state. On the contrary, in the brain mercury combined with the protein is found to be 67per cent, revealing a lower rate of mercury combined with protein. In comparing the mercury combined with protein in blood, the percentage of mercury combined with blood cells and that of blood plasma is 49 per cent in the former, while it is 55 per cent in the latter. Although the latter shows a higher rate, the mercury combined with protein in blood cells and blood plasma is lower than that in other organs. Furthermore, even by the salting-out method the mercury combined with protein to various tissue has been found 76.7 per cent in kidney, 73.9 per cent in liver, 61.9 per cent in brain, and 50.0 per cent in blood serum, showing the results approximately same as those obtained by dialysis. 3. In comparing the mercury distribution combinsd with tissue protein per 1.0 mg dry tissue weight, it has bean found in the descending order of kidney > blood plasma > blood serum > liver > spleen > heart > blood cells > brain, indicating mercury combined with protein is extremely minimal in the brain and blood. Mercury shows a marked quantity of the tissue protein of kidney, amounting to 27-fold that of blond plasma, 39-fold that of liver, 47-fold that of spleen, 156-fold that heart, 244-fold that of blood cells, and 407-fold that of brain. In addition, when the quantity of mercury combined with protein in blood is compared as per 1.0 mg of dry protein weight, the ratio is blood cells : blood plasma equals to 1:9, while blood cells : blood serum equals to 1:7, respectively. 4. In blood and principal organs the total amount of mercury combined with tissue protein as against the total amount of the mercury injected has been found to be in the descending order of kidney > liver > blood plasma > blood cells > spleen > heart > brain. Twenty-four hours after the injection of Hg(203)(NO(3))(2), of mercury injected, 32per cent of it is distributed in the kidney, 4.4 per cent in the liver, 1.1 per cent in blood plasma, 0.6 per cent in blood cells. 0.2 per cent in spleen, 0.07 per cent in heart, and 0.06 per cent in the brain. 5. From these results it has been clarified that more than 67 per cent of mercury in organs combines with tissue protein and mercury has an extremely strong gathering to the tissue protein of kidney.