Investigation of mercury metallothionein complexes in tissues of rat after oral intake of HgCl2

Mercury, a highly toxic metal found widely throughout the environment, is a potent inducer of metallothionein (MT) expression. The role of MTs in the detoxification of mercury after its oral intake in mammals is studied. After feeding rats with mercuric chloride by gastric gavage, the distribution of heavy metals in rat tissues was investigated by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS). Extensive accumulation of mercury, copper and zinc in kidney and liver is observed. A homemade preparative size‐exclusion chromatography (SEC) column (30 cm × 1.9 cm) packed with Sephadex G‐75 (40–120 µm particle size) gel (Pharmacia) was used for the purification of MT fractions in rat tissues. Preliminary results from SEC indicate that the mercury‐binding MT levels in liver were much lower than in kidney. The MT fractions were collected, desalted, and then separated by reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV–Vis spectrometry, ICP‐MS and electrospray ionization MS detection. One major and several minor peaks were observed in the HPLC chromatograms of the MT fraction for the kidney sample. UV absorption spectra indicate that MTs were found to bind with mercury. There were no significant mercury‐binding MTs detected in the liver sample using UV detection. ICP‐MS detection showed that mercury‐binding MTs in kidney contained large amounts of mercury and copper but little zinc. Further characterization with ESI‐MS showed that the major peak found in kidney contained Hg₆Cu, Hg₅Cu₂‐MT‐2c and Hg₆‐MT‐2β, Hg₆Cu‐MT‐1γ, Hg₇‐MT‐2α. However, distinction between copper and zinc could not be made based on current mass spectrometric analysis because of instrumental resolution limitations. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

朱砂中汞的生物可接受性及其吸收与排泄

研究了朱砂中汞的生物可接受性及其在体内的吸收与排泄.采用体外消化透析法测定了朱砂中汞的生物可接受性;计算了大鼠灌胃给予临床剂量(50mg/kg)朱砂后汞的药动学参数;测定了给予临床剂量的朱砂后大鼠粪样中汞的排泄量.结果表明,朱砂中汞的溶出率为0.011%,生物可接受率为0.003 3%.大鼠灌胃给予临床剂量的朱砂后,汞的药动学参数为:最高血药浓度(ρmax)为(6.3±1.3)μg/L,达峰时间(tmax)为(1.3±0.4)h,半衰期(t1/2)为(4.2±0.5)h,血药浓度-时间曲线下面积(AUC)为(54.7±8.7)μg.h.L-1.给予朱砂12h后汞在粪便中排泄量最大,96h后在粪样中仍可检测到少量汞.朱砂中汞的生物可接受性较低,在体内吸收少,滞留时间较长,排泄缓慢,长期服用可在体内蓄积,产生毒性.     

Investigation of metal-binding metallothioneins in the tissues of rats after oral intake of cinnabar

The multi-metal-binding MT fractions in rat tissues after oral intake of cinnabar were characterized by hyphenated size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS). With the increase of both the feeding time and dosage of cinnabar the amounts of Hg-binding MT fractions in rat kidney of groups fed cinnabar increased significantly compared with the control group. Meanwhile, more Cu-binding MT were synthesized in the rat kidney, which confirmed the manipulating effect of MT in the homeostasis of Cu for detoxification of nephritic mercury. Although the Hg-binding MT fractions in rat liver of all cinnabar groups were almost independent of cinnabar dosage (2.5–5.0 g kg^–1 bw) and feeding time (2–4 weeks), the amount was much higher than that of the control group. The amounts of Hg-MT in other rat tissues of the cinnabar groups and the control group were compared and their significance is discussed.     

Chemically modified activated carbon with S-benzyldithiocarbazate as a new solid-phase extractant for preconcentration of mercury prior to ICP-AES determination

A new sorbent S-benzyldithiocarbazate (SBDTC) modified activated carbon (AC-SBDTC) was prepared and studied for preconcentration for trace mercury(II) prior to inductively coupled plasma atom emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The experimental conditions were optimised with respect to different experimental parameters using both batch and column procedures in detail. The optimum pH value for the separation of Hg(II) on the new sorbent was 3, while the adsorption equilibrium was achieved in less than 5?min. Complete elution of the adsorbed metal ions from the sorbent surface was carried out using 5?mL of 0.25?mol?L^?1 of HCl and 2% CS(NH₂)₂. Common coexisting ions did not interfere with the determination. The maximum static adsorption capacity of the sorbent under optimum conditions was found to be 0.55?mmol?g^?1. The detection limit of the present method was found to be 0.09?ng?mL^?1, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was lower than 2.0%. The procedure was validated by analysing the certified reference river sediment material (GBW 08301, China), the results obtained were in good agreement with standard values. This sorbent was successfully employed in the separation and preconcentration of trace Hg(II) from the natural water samples yielding 80-fold concentration factor.     

Bis(2-mercaptobenzoxazolato)mercury(II) and bis(2-pyridinethiolato)mercury(II) complexes as carriers for thiocyanate selective electrodes

Highly selective poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane electrodes based on bis(2-mercaptobenzoxazolato)mercury(II) [Hg(MBO)₂] and bis(2-pyridinethiolato)mercury(II) [Hg(PT)₂] complexes as new carriers for thiocyanate-selective electrodes are reported. The electrodes were prepared by coating the membrane solution containing PVC, plasticizer, carriers and additives on the surface of graphite electrodes. Influence of the membrane composition, pH and possible interfering anions were investigated on the response properties of the electrodes. Both sensors exhibited Nernstian responses towards thiocyanate over a wide concentration range of 1×10⁻⁶ to 0.1 M, with slopes of 60.6±0.8 and 57.5±1.2 mV per decade of thiocyanate concentration for Hg(MBO)₂ and Hg(PT)₂ carriers, respectively, over a wide pH range of 3-11. The limit of detection for both electrodes was ∼6×10⁻⁷ M. The sensors have response times of ≤5 s and can be used for at least 2 months without any considerable divergence in their potential response. The proposed electrodes show fairly good discrimination of thiocyanate over several inorganic and organic anions. The electrodes were successfully applied to direct determination of thiocyanate in saliva and as indicator electrodes in precipitation titrations.     

Urinary levoglucosan as a biomarker for residential wood smoke exposure

As part of a randomised controlled residential intervention study, levoglucosan (LG) was investigated as a biomarker for wood smoke exposure. This study was conducted among 33 children living in homes that used wood stoves for residential heating. Indoor fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) concentrations and corresponding urine samples from participants were collected during pre- and a post-intervention winter sampling periods. Interventions included the installation of an air filtration unit and a wood stove change out. Homes and children assigned to a placebo filter served as the control condition. Results showed a strong reduction in indoor PM_2.5 among the air filter homes (≈58% reduction), whereas the wood stove change out homes did not have a significant PM_2.5 reduction from pre- to post-intervention observations. Children living in the air filter homes did not show a corresponding reduction in urinary LG concentrations. Further analysis did not show an association between overall changes in indoor PM_2.5 concentrations and changes in urinary LG concentrations. These findings suggest that urinary LG is not a reliable indicator of wood smoke exposure in residential wood heating settings.     

Recent progress of calixarene-based fluorescent chemosensors towards mercury ions

In recent years, calixarene-based fluorescent chemosensors for mercury(II) are mushroom growth because of its intrinsic sensitivity. The design of the highly selective calixarene-based chemosensors towards mercury(II) is still a challenging task. In this paper, the progress of highly selective fluorescent sensor for mercury(II) based on calixarene derivatives is reviewed according to a mono-fluorophore chemosensor and a bi-fluorophore chemosensor. Some new developments such as calixarene-modified nanoparticles are also covered.     

Investigation of 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole azodye derivatives as reagents for determination of mercury(II)

The reaction of mercury(II) with 3-(2,4-dihydroxyphen-1-ylazo)-1,2,4-triazole (HL¹), 3-(2-hydroxy-5-methylphen-1-ylazo)-1,2,4-triazole (HL²), 3-(2-hydroxy-5-ethoxycarbonylphen-1-ylazo)-1,2,4-triazole (HL³), 3-(2-hydroxy-5-acetylphen-1-ylazo)-1,2,4-triazole (HL⁴), 3-(2-hydroxy-5-formylphen-1-ylazo)-1,2,4-triazole (HL⁵), and 3-(2-hydroxy-5-bromophen-1-ylazo)-1,2,4-triazole (HL⁶) was studied. A new, direct, and simple procedure was suggested for the spectrophotometric determination of mercury(II) based on its complexation reaction with HL¹-HL⁶. The best reagent was found to be HL³ due to its high sensitivity and selectivity. In aqueous media of pH 9.0 containing 40 vol. % of methanol, Hg(II) reacts with HL³ to form a 1:2 (Hg(II) · HL³) complex having a sensitive absorption peak at 490 nm with the molar extinction coefficient of 3.31 × 10⁴ L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹ using 4 × 10⁻⁴ M of the reagent. Beer’s law is obeyed over the range from 0.00 μg mL⁻¹ to 12.04 μg mL⁻¹ of mercury(II). The proposed method was applied in the determination of mercury(II) in tap water, seawater and synthetic seawater samples, without the need of prior treatment, with satisfactory results.     

高效液相色谱法测定涂料中乙酸苯基汞防霉剂

建立了高效液相色谱法对涂料中乙酸苯基汞进行检测的方法.样品经稀释后,以V(乙腈)∶V(2 mmoL NH4Ac)=90∶10为流动相,C18柱高效液相色谱分离,DAD为检测器,检测波长为195 nm.结果表明,线性范围为0.1～10 mg/L(相关系数r2=0.9995),检出限为0.097 mg/L(相当于涂料中质量分数为2.43×10-3%),对涂料样品进行5个不同浓度水平的添加回收,回收率为97.3%～103.1%,RSD≤4.5%(n=7).本法具有较高的选择性、灵敏度和准确度,能满足涂料中乙酸苯基汞的测定分析.     

Spectrophotometric determination of mercury with 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(3-chloro-4-sulfophenyl)porphine by flow injection analysis

5,10,15,20-tetrakis(3-chloro-4-sulfophenyl)porphine (m-Cl-TPPS₄) was synthesized and used for the Spectrophotometric determination of mercury by flow injection analysis. A pseudo-first-order reaction kinetic mechanism was proposed with a rate constant of 0.8 min^–1 for Hg(II) withm-Cl-TPPS₄ in the presence of 8-hydroxyquinoline in a medium of 1.0M acetic acid and sodium acetate buffer solution (pH 6.22). In the optimum conditions of reaction temperature (85 ° C), stopped-flow time (60 s) and sampling volume (100 l), the method's relative standard deviation was 0.82% (n = 12) at 5.0 g ml^–1 mercury, with a linear range of 0–12.0 g ml^–1 and an analytical frequency of 60h^–1. The detection limit (3) was 0.025 g ml^–1. Interference studies showed that most metal ions co-existing with Hg²⁺ could be tolerated at 100-fold excess levels, but Zn²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Mn²⁺ needed to be masked. The method has been applied to the analysis of water samples with satisfactory results.     

Selective complexometric determination of mercury with sulphite as indirect masking reagent

A complexo-titrimetric method for the determination of mercury(II) in the presence of other metal ions is described, based on the selective masking ability of sulphite ion towards Hg(II). Mercury in a given sample solution is initially complexed with a known excess of EDTA and the surplus EDTA titrated with zinc sulphate solution at pH 5.0–6.0 (hexamine), using xylenol orange (or methylthymol blue) as indicator. An excess of solid sodium sulphite is then added to decompose the Hg(II)-EDTA complex and the released EDTA is titrated with standard zinc sulphate solution. Reproducible and accurate results are obtained for 9.9–99 mg Hg with relative errors < 0.35% and standard deviations < 0.05 mg. The effects of various cations and anions are studied.     

Structural Adaptation of a Protein to Increased Metal Stress: NMR Structure of a Marine Snail Metallothionein with an Additional Domain

In this study, we present an NMR structure of the metallothionein (MT) from the snail Littorina littorea (LlMT) in complex with Cd²⁺. LlMT is capable of binding 9 Zn²⁺ or 9 Cd²⁺ ions. Sequence alignments with other snail MTs revealed that the protein is likely composed of three domains. The study revealed that the protein is divided into three individual domains, each of which folds into a single well‐defined three‐metal cluster. The central α2 and C‐terminal β domains are positioned with a unique relative orientation. Two variants with longer and shorter linkers were investigated, which revealed that specific interdomain contacts only occurred with the wild‐type linker. Moreover, a domain‐swap mutant in which the highly similar α1 and α2 domains were exchanged was structurally almost identical. It is suggested that the expression of a three‐domain MT confers an evolutionary advantage on Littorina littorea in terms of coping with Cd²⁺ stress and adverse environmental conditions.     

Label-free immunosensor for monitoring vitellogenin as a biomarker for exogenous oestrogen compounds in amphibian species

A label-free, optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy based immunosensor was developed for frog (Bombina orientalis) vitellogenin (Vtg) determination in biological samples as a biomarker for exogenous oestrogen compounds. Antibody against Vtg was produced in rabbits immunised with purified lipovitellin (Lpv), a precursor of Vtg, from the homogenised ovary of oriental fire-bellied toads (B. orientalis). The purified protein and Lpv/Vtg-specific serum were applied in both competitive and direct immunoassay formats using optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy immunosensor. When measuring Vtg in direct manner, the Lpv antibody (1.76 µg mL^?1) was immobilised on the sensor surface, and the linear measuring range for Vtg was 0.1–10 µg mL^?1. During the competitive measurement, 100 ng mL^?1 Lpv was applied for the immobilisation. The linear measuring range for Vtg was 0.5–50 ng mL^?1. We studied the relative substrate specificity of the antibody, and it was concluded that the method is suitable for the sensitive and selective determination of Vtg levels in toads. Heart, liver and gonad samples from male animals were spiked with Vtg and were analysed using the newly developed method, and female toads and spawn samples were tested and compared to the calibration curve obtained by the spiked samples.     

灌喂氯化汞大鼠组织中汞结合金属硫蛋白的色谱/质谱联用表征研究

通过测定大鼠脏器组织中汞的总量、金属硫蛋白(MTs)含量及利用尺寸排阻色谱(SEC)与电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)联用技术,分析了灌喂HgCl2大鼠脏器组织中汞与MTs的积累量及金属与MTs的结合形态。结果表明,灌喂HgCl2大鼠各脏器中汞的积累量显著高于其相应的对照组,特别是在肾、肝和睾丸中汞的含量较高,表明此3个脏器受汞的危害最大。MTs的含量水平说明当大鼠脏器受汞污染时,肌体中的MTs将被大量诱导产生以对重金属进行解毒。通过SEC-ICP-MS联用技术获得了组织中的金属与MTs的结合形态,其     

Increased sensitivity of anodic stripping voltammetry at the hanging mercury drop electrode by ultracathodic deposition

An improved approach to the anodic stripping voltammetric (ASV) determination of heavy metals, using the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE), is reported. It was discovered that using very cathodic accumulation potentials, at which the solvent reduction occurs (overpotential deposition), the voltammetric signals of zinc(II), cadmium(II), lead(II) and copper(II) increase. When compared with the classical methodology a 5 to 10-fold signal increase is obtained. This effect is likely due to both mercury drop oscillation at such cathodic potentials and added local convection at the mercury drop surface caused by the evolution of hydrogen bubbles.     

Sequential quantification of methyl mercury in biological materials by selective reduction in the presence of mercury(II), using two gas–liquid separators

The present procedure is based on the sequential selective reduction of mercury(II) and methyl mercury using two gas–liquid separators in series. Cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry was used for detection. Mercury(II) is reduced by a 0.01% m/v sodium tetrahydroborate solution and driven to the absorption cell in the first separator. The methyl mercury species is reduced by the same reductant but at a 0.3% m/v concentration, and in the presence of iron(III) chloride. Parameters such as argon flow rate, and the NaBH₄ and dithiophosphoric acid diacyl ester concentrations were optimized. At the optimized conditions, and using aqueous standards for calibration, the corresponding limits of detection (3σ_b, n=10) were 400 and 600 ng l⁻¹ for mercury(II) and methyl mercury, respectively. The sample throughput was 12 h⁻¹. The procedure was used for the determination of methyl mercury in dogfish liver and dogfish muscle certified reference materials, and good concordance between found and certified values was observed.     

Coamplexation of mercury(II) compounds by crown ethers in organic media

Complexes between crown ethers having ring sizes of 15–24 atoms and 5 to 8 oxygens with HgX₂ species (X = Cl, I, CN, SCN) have been prepared and studied. Interactions of the substituents X bound to mercury with groups or fragments in the crown compound are essential in determining the characteristics and stability of the complexes formed. Complexes with crowns of 18C6 ring sizes are the most favourable except for HgX₂ compounds for which the size of X is larger than the macrocycle ring, as is the case for X = CF₃.     

冷原子荧光光谱法测定含朱砂中成药中痕量汞的样品消解溶剂选择

目的为了测定紫金锭、复方牛黄消炎胶囊等含朱砂中成药样品中痕量汞的含量,方法比较并确定了高压密封消解法适用的消解溶剂体系。结果以y（王水）＋V（H2O2）=5＋1为消解溶剂,高压密封消解-冷原子荧光法测得紫金锭和复方牛黄消炎胶囊样品的总汞含量分别为7．22％和2．66％,样品的加标回收率为96．2％-97．8％,RSD小于2％（n=3）;结论实验表明,y（王水）＋y（H2O2）=5＋1混合溶剂适用于紫金锭、复方牛黄消炎胶囊等含朱砂中成药样品的消化,获得的样品汞含量测定结果令人满意。     

Bioreduction of ionic mercury from wastewater in a fixed-bed bioreactor with activated carbon

Wide industrial use of mercury led to significant mercury pollution of the environment. It requires development of cleanup technologies which would allow treating large volumes of mercury contaminated water in a cost effective and environmentally friendly way. A novel bio-technology, developed from laboratory to industrial scale in Germany at HZI (former GBF), is based on enzymatic reduction of highly toxic Hg(II) to water-insoluble and relatively non-toxic Hg(0) using live mercury resistant bacteria immobilized on a porous carrier material in a fixed-bed bioreactor. Improvement of the original method was based on the use of activated carbon as a carrier for microorganisms and an adsorbent for mercury. Such integration of the process should increase the technology efficiency. In order to compare different carrier materials, activated carbon and pumice stones were used. The strain Pseudomonas putida was immobilized in bioreactors continuously fed with solutions of HgCl₂ enriched with nutrients. Simultaneously, experiments in two more reactors were run in the absence of microorganisms to investigate the influence of nutrients on the adsorption process. In the bioreactor with activated carbon, the outlet mercury concentration was approximately 50 % of that supplied with pumice. It may be concluded that the use of activated carbon in a fixed-bed bioreactor enables improvement of the technology by process integration. Presented at the 34th International Conference of the Slovak Society of Chemical Engineering, Tatranské Matliare, 21–25 May 2007.