EFFECT OF MERCURY AND SELENITE INTERACTION ON THE MOUSE VITAL ORGANS

Effects of short term daily i.p. injections of mercuric chloride (MC, 0.625 mg kg(-1)) and sodium selenite (SS, 0.25 mg kg(-1)) individually and in combination were studied for 7 days with respect to some vital organ metabolism of mice. The parameters studied were glycogen, phosp horylase, ascorbate system, protein and acid phosphatase (ACP) in the liver, creatinine, protein and alkaline phosphatese in the kidney and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), parameters of glycogen and phosphorylas e in the skeletal muscle. Administration of MC or 88 induced changes i n liver, kidney and muscle metabolism and function as their biochemica l tests showed deviations. However, these effects were not observed in animals injected with 88 and MC simultaneously. It seems that interac tion of selenite and mercury (MC) plays a role to suppress individual effects through multiple mechanisms.