Biliary Excretion and Intestinal Reabsorption of Mercury in the Rat after Injection of Methyl Mercuric Cloride

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Abstract
The relative amount of methyl mercuric compounds in rat bile is not dose dependent for doses from 1 mg Hg/kg rat weight to less than 1 μg Hg/kg given as methyl mercuric chloride. Binding of mercury in the bile and reabsorption from the intestinal tract are similar for doses several orders of magnitude apart. The reabsorption of mercury is not part of an enterohepatic circulation, as mercury which is reabsorbed is not predominantly reexcreted. The distribution of sulfhydryl groups between the liver and the bile does not explain the distribution of mercury. The excretion of mercury does not increase when the volume of bile increases. The mercury concentration in the bile reflects the liver concentration and not the plasma concentration. There have been no indications of an active transport mechanism for methyl mercuric compounds from the liver cell to the bile demonstrated.