Phytosorbent prepared from sunflower seed husks prevents mercuric chlorideaccumulation in kidney and muscle of adult rabbits

In the present study, the effect of a melanin-containing phytosorbent, "Vic toria," on mercury accumulation in rabbits' tissues was studied. This phyto sorbent is derived from black sunflower seed husks. Domestic rabbits were a dministered either one single nontoxic low-level dose of mercuric chloride (i.e., 50 mu g/l kg body weight [control group]) or combinations of mercury and the phytosorbent "Victoria" (i.e., experimental group). Mercury and ph ytosorbent were administered per os daily for 12 d. Mercury in tissues was determined by cold-vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy. Mercury in kidney and muscle of the experiment group was, on average, 25.8 and 4.7 times less , respectively, than in the control group. The authors concluded that the p hytosorbent prevented accumulation of mercury in the kidney and muscle tiss ues and exerted a protective effect against mercury toxicity.