Ameliorative capacities of vitamins and monothiols administered alone or in combinations in methylmercury mobilisation in nervous and non-nervous tissues of mice.

The extent of mercury mobilisation was recorded from various tissues (brain, spinal cord, liver and kidney) of male mice administered with a daily dose of methylmercury chloride (1 mg/kg) for seven days. For this purpose 10 groups of animals were intoxicated. Out of these, one group was sacrificed on 8th day and one group was kept without toxicant for another seven days before sacrificing on 15th day. To the rest of the groups were given a daily dose of N-acetyl-DL-homocysteine thiolactone (NAHT), glutathione (GSH), vitamin B Complex and E, applied either alone or in combinations. All these animals were sacrificed on the 15th day. The mercury clearance rate during thiols, vitamins and their co-administration was examined. Study shows that both the vitamins were able to increase mercury elimination from the nervous and non-nervous tissues. Their combination with NAHT was not suitable as mercury level was increased in all the tissues except kidney as compared to NAHT alone treated group. However, vitamin B Complex combination with glutathione was much advantageous. It is concluded from the overall study that application of vitamin B Complex and E either alone or in combination with GSH is quite suitable for methylmercury post-therapy.