UTILIZATION OF RENAL SLICES TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF CHELATING-AGENTS FOR REMOVING MERCURY FROM THE KIDNEY

Mercury is an environmental contaminant that preferentially accumulate s in the kidney. It has been previously shown using proton-induced X-r ay emission analysis that mercury (HgCl2) accumulated in precision-cut rabbit renal cortical slices. In this study, the efficacy of seven ch elating agents for the removal of Hg from renal slices has been examin ed. Rabbits were injected with HgCl2 (10 mg/kg) and 3 h later kidneys were sliced, or renal slices were exposed in vitro to a mildly toxic c oncentration of HgCl2 (5 x 10(-5) M, 4 h). The slices were then treate d in vitro with 10 mM concentrations of EDTA, lipoic acid (LA), penici llamine (PA), glutathione (GSH), 1,4-dithiothreitol (DTT), DMSA, or DM PS. DMPS proved to be the most effective in mobilizing Hg from in vivo or in vitro HgCl2-exposed renal tissue (> 85% of control after 3 h in cubation). Relative efficacies for the seven agents were DMPS > DMSA, PA > DTT, GSH > LA, EDTA. The use of renal slices appears to be a usef ul in vitro tool for assessing the efficacy of chelating agents on mob ilizing accumulated Hg from renal tissue. Copyright (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.