Effects of sodium selenite on distribution and placental transfer of mercuric mercury in mice of late gestational period.

Mercury distribution and placental transfer in mice were investigated with coadministration of selenite. Pregnant mice, subcutaneously injected with 1.5 or 15.0 mumol/kg of mercuric chloride and 0, 1.3, 12.7 or 25.3 mumol/kg of sodium selenite on day 16 or their gestation, were examined for tissue distribution of mercury 24 hours after treatment. Elevated mercury concentrations in the blood were found along with increasing doses of selenite at the two dose-levels of mercury, on the other hand, decreased accumulation of mercury with increased doses of selenite was found in the kidneys and brain. In the liver, the largest amount of mercury was accumulated by approximate-equimolar combinations of doses. The amount of mercury transferred to the fetus was remarkably reduced in the groups injected with 12.7 mumol/kg of selenite at the two dose-levels of mercury. In the groups injected with higher dose of mercury, where fetal organs were measurable for mercury, fetal brain, liver or kidneys of the group of selenite 12.7 mumol/kg contained the least amount of mercury among the groups. All of the mice injected with 15.0 mumol/kg of mercury and 25.3 mumol/kg of selenite aborted before sacrifice.