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J.Health Sci., 54(2), 207-211, 2008

Influence of Dietary Protein Levels on the Fate of Inorganic Mercury in Mice

Tatsumi Adachi,*, a, b Masaaki Nagano,a Tsukasa Ebihara,b Tsubasa Imai,b Masatake Fujimura,a and Yasunobu Suketac

aDepartment of Basic Medical Sciences, National Institute for Minamata Disease, 4058-18 Hama, Minamata, Kumamoto 867-0008, Japan, bFaculty of Pharmacy, Chiba Institute of Science, 15-8 Shiomi-cho, Choshi, Chiba 288-0025, Japan, and cChiba Institute of Science, 3 Shiomi-cho, Choshi, Chiba 288-0025, Japan

Influence of dietary protein levels on mercury (Hg) fate and on tissue metallothionein (MT) levels was investigated in mice. Twenty-four hr after single administration of mercuric chloride (2.5 mg Hg/kg, subcutaneous), the hepatic Hg concentration was enhanced by dietary protein deficiency, whereas the levels in other tissues and excrements were not affected. At that time, MT inductions by mercuric chloride in liver and kidney were suppressed by dietary protein deficiency, despite no observable differences in basal levels. Thus, Hg levels in the liver and kidney showed little correlation with MT levels. A further experiment demonstrated an enhancement of Hg concentration in the liver by dietary protein deficiency at 3 and 12hr but not at 1hr, and the Hg concentration in the kidney was transiently enhanced at 3 hr. Accordingly, the differences in Hg fate would arise considerably earlier, probably before MT induction. The present results suggest that dietary protein status modifies the fate of inorganic Hg, especially in the liver, probably independent of the differences in dietary protein level-dependent varying levels of MT.