The distribution of total mercury in the brain after the lateral ventricular single injection of methylmercury and glutathione.

We determined the time course of the distribution of total mercury in the brain after the lateral ventricular single injection of methylmercury (Me-Hg) and glutathione (GSH) to confirm our assumption that glutathione have a very important role in methylmercury transport into the brain. The following results were obtained: (1) The transport of methylmercury into the brain was accelerated by glutathione, but was retarded by the surplus glutathione. (2) The increase of glutathione to methylmercury ratio in the dose was tend to uniformize the distribution of total mercury in the brain. These results might suggest that methylmercury is carried with glutathione and transformed into methylmercury-cysteine by gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GTP), and transported into the brain.