Binding of mercury and selenium in subcellular fractions of rat liver and kidneys following separate and joint administration

The distribution of mercury and selenium has been examined in subcellular fractions of rat liver and kidneys in prolonged exposure to HgCl₂ and Na₂SeO₃ administered separately and simultaneously. The molar ratio of mercury and selenium concentrations in subcellular fractions of the organs examined varied considerably. Selenium displaced mercury from the soluble kidney fraction bound mainly with metallothionein to the nonhistone protein fraction of liver nuclei. The Hg-stimulated biosynthesis of metallothionein has been eliminated under the influence of selenium.This work was supported by the Polish-American agreement No 05-009-2, with National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, PHS, USA