Studies on poisonous metals. XIX. Comparative effects of chelating agents on distribution and excretion of inorganic mercury in rats.

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Abstract
The effect of various chelating agents, sodium N-benzyl-D-glucamine dithiocarbamate (NBG-DTC), 2, 3-dimercaptopropanol (BAL), D-penicillamine (D-PEN), and sodium N-methyl-D-glucamine dithiocarbamate (NMG-DTC), on the distribution and excretion of inorganic mercury were compared in rats exposed to HgCl2. Rats were injected i.p. with 203HgCl2 (300 μg of Hg and 2 μCi of 203Hg/kg) and 30 min or 24 h later, were injected with a chelating agent (400 μmol/kg). NBG-DTC and BAL mainly promoted the biliary excretion of mercury, while D-PEN and NMG-DTC significantly promoted the urinary excretion of mercury. In rats pretreated with HgCl2 30 min earlier, the injection of NBG-DTC reduced the content of mercury in the pancreas. BAL significantly reduced the contents of the liver, kidney, and pancreas. D-PEN reduced the contents of mercury in the pancreas, lung, and heart. In rats pretreated with HgCl2 24 h earlier, NBG-DTC reduced the content of mercury in the kindey. BAL reduced the contents of mercury in the liver and kidney, although BAL caused the redistribution of mercury to the lung, heart, and brain. In rats injected with NBG-DTC at 30 min after pretreatment with HgCl2, the biliary excretion of mercury increased with increasing dose of NBG-DTC. In rats injected with NBG-DTC at 24 h after pretreatment with HgCl2, the biliary excetion of mercury increased with increasing dose of NBG-DTC at the doses of 400-1200 μmol/kg and ato the doses above 1200 μmol/kg the urinary excretion of this metal increased remarkably. A long time interval beween the administrations of mercury and NBG-DTC resulted in the decreased biliary excretion of mercury. The reduced stimulatory effect of NBG-DTC on the biliary excretion of mercury with time after the pretreatment with mercury may result from the decrease of tissue mercury concentration and labile mercury content in the rat body.