The Effect of Ethionine Feeding on the Retention of A Single Per Os Dose of Methyl Mercury on Rat

Six adult female rats were daily fed a diet containing DL-ethionine during three weeks. One daily rat dose was 30 mg of ethionine. Six similar rats, the controls, were kept on the same diet without ethionine. On the 21st day of the experiment all rats were given one dose of 203Hg labeled methyl mercury by stomach tube. Each rat received 163 µg in terms of metallic mercury. Ninety hrs. after the mercury administration all rats were sacrificed and the mercury contents of the brains, livers, caudal femoral muscles, erythrocytes and blood plasma were determined. The mean plasma mercury content was significantly (P<0.01) greater in the ethionine fed rats when compared to the controls.