A Study on the Enzyme Activity in Liver and Kidney of Mouse Administered Mercury Chloride in the Drinking Water

무기수은이 마우스의 간장 및 신장내 효소반응에 미치는 영향

The accumulations of mercury, lactate dehydrogenase and antioxidant enzymes activities of which are glutathione peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase, and pathological changes were investigated in liver and kidney of mice which were fed the water supplemented with two levels (0.5 mM and 1.0 mM) of mercury chloride (HgCl$_2$). During the mercury feeding, the weight gain of mice in experimental groups was less than that of control group mice, while no overt signs related to mercury toxicity were noted in any experimental groups. Mercury concentrations in liver and kidney increased significantly in the early period (1~2 weeks) after mercury administration, which were measured as high as 100 times in liver and kidney in comparison to those of the control groups, but there were relatively stable for the levels of accumulation in following periods. The lactate dehydrogenase activities in liver and kidney were relatively increased in the period of 2~3 weeks of mercury administration in the experimental groups, there were normal levels in other periods of administration without the dose-dependencies. The glutathione peroxidase activities were not affected by the dosages of mercury chloride and the duration of ingestion. But the catalase activities significantly increased in 2~3 weeks after ingestion, and the superoxide dismutase activities of kidney also showed a peak in 3 weeks of ingestion while this peak was not found in the results measured in liver tissues.