Tubular cells mercury exposure

In a study of six mercury compounds, mercury chloride, mercury nitrate, sodium ethylmercurithi-osalicylate, methyl mercury chloride, mercury acetate and phenylmercury acetate in MDCK cells, LLC-PKl cells and human primary proximal tubular cells (hPTC) and non-renal cell lines (SAOS and Hep G2) it was found that all mercury compounds were toxic to all cell types as evidenced by neutral red uptake, thymidine incorporation and the MTT assay [189]. However, sodium ethylmercurithiosalicylate, methyl mercury chloride and phenylmercury acetate were one order of magnitude more toxic than the other compounds. In addition the GSH synthesis inhibitor L-buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) potentiated the toxicity of all mercury compounds [189]. In a study using primary rabbit proximal tubular cells it was also shown that methyl mercury chloride is more toxic than mercury chloride [190]. Differences in the extent and rate of metal uptake were also evident. Maximum cellular uptake of Hg " occurred within 6-24 hr after exposure and was not concentration-dependent, whereas maximum uptake of CHgHg" occurred within 3 hr of exposure and was concentration- dependent [190]. 

In rats, slight degenerative changes (i.e., dense deposits in tubule cells and lysosomal inclusions) in the renal tubular epithelium were evident following exposure to 3 mg/m3 mercury vapor for 3 hours a day,... 

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