Sex differences in renal handling of inorganic mercury in aged rats
Autor: | Jennifer L. Barkin, Taylor N. Mathis, Lucy Joshee, Nigel D’Souza, Elizabeth H. Pittman, Christy C. Bridges |
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Jazyk: | angličtina |
Rok vydání: | 2020 |
Předmět: |
Kidney
Aging Health Toxicology and Mutagenesis Physiology chemistry.chemical_element Gender Heavy metals Membrane Transporters Mercury Biology Toxicology Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Inorganic mercury Article Mercury (element) medicine.anatomical_structure Urinary excretion chemistry lcsh:RA1190-1270 medicine lcsh:Toxicology. Poisons |
Zdroj: | Current Research in Toxicology Current Research in Toxicology, Vol 1, Iss, Pp 1-4 (2020) |
ISSN: | 2666-027X |
Popis: | The sex of an individual/animal has been shown to play an important role in many biological processes. Furthermore, sex may also be a factor in the way environmental toxicants, such as heavy metals, are handled by organisms. However, the effect of sex on the handling and disposition of heavy metals, such as mercury (Hg), has not been shown. Aging has also been shown to be a factor in the accumulation of heavy metals in that older individuals tend to have higher burdens of these metals. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effect of sex on the accumulation of mercury in aged animals. Aged male and female rats were injected intravenously with 0.5 μmol or 2.0 μmol·kg−1 HgCl2 (containing radioactive Hg) and organs were harvested after 24 h. In general, the renal accumulation of Hg was significantly greater in males than in females. Similarly, urinary excretion of Hg was greater in males than in females. There were no significant differences between males and females in the burden of Hg in other organs. Sex differences in the renal accumulation of Hg may be related to differences in the expression of membrane transporters involved in the uptake of mercuric species into tubular epithelial cells. The results of the current study illustrate the need to evaluate both sexes when assessing the renal effects of environmental toxicants. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Renal accumulation of mercury is greater in aged male rats than aged female rats. • Mercury accumulation differed among zones of the kidney. • Sex did not appear to alter accumulation of mercury in other organs studied. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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