Tissue distribution of (/sup 14/C)methyl mercury in the lobster, Homarus americanus

Journal Article · Wed Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1976 · J. Toxicol. Environ. Health; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/15287397609529413· OSTI ID:7312023

Guarino, A M ^[1]; Anderson, J B; Pritchard, J B; Rall, D P

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1. National Cancer Inst., Bethesda, MD

(/sup 14/C) Methyl mercury was administered to lobsters by three different routes: intravascular (iv) injection, ingestion, and absorption from the ambient water. After iv administration (0.1 mg/kg) (/sup 14/C) methyl mercury was rapidly removed from the plasma, followed by slow loss from the hepatopancreas and a strikingly persistent increase in the amount of radioactivity in the tail muscle. Most (80 to 90 percent) of the radioactivity in the hepatopancreas was shown by TLC methods to be the parent compound, and approximately 10 percent of this persisted for 6 days after injection. The half-life in this organ was found to be 21 days. One month after iv treatment with methyl mercury, the only organs that contained more than 0.1 ppM of this xenobiotic were egg masses, male gonads, heart, brain, intestine, and tail muscle. The half-lives for disappearance from sexual organs were greater than 1 month. After ingestion of (/sup 14/C) methyl mercury (0.1 mg/kg) in food the hepatopancreas contained most of the administered dose at 6 days (68 percent), while the stomach (10 percent), tail muscle (8 percent), and carcass (15 percent) contained less. A unique distribution pattern emerged 6 days after exposure to (/sup 14/C) methyl mercury-containing ambient water (0.1 ppM). The tail muscle contained most (50 percent) of the absorbed dose, whereas the hepatopancreas and carcass containing only 23 and 10 percent, respectively. In view of the small molecular size and high liqid solubility of methyl mercury and the lipophilic properties of the chitin-protein exoskeleton of the lobster, it is likely that significant uptake directly from the water as well as storage of absorbed methyl mercury occurred in the tail region. Residue analysis on untreated lobsters indicated that the egg masses contained the largest amount of methyl mercury (0.1 ppM). The hepatopancreas and carcass (muscle) levels were less than 0.05 ppM.

• OSTI ID: 7312023
• Journal Information: J. Toxicol. Environ. Health; (United States), Vol. 2:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
LOBSTERS
CONTAMINATION
METHYLMERCURY
BIOLOGICAL LOCALIZATION
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
BIOLOGICAL HALF-LIFE
BLOOD
BLOOD PLASMA
BRAIN
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
DISTRIBUTION
EGGS
GONADS
HEART
INGESTION
INTESTINES
INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION
INTRAVENOUS INJECTION
LIPIDS
MUSCLES
PANCREAS
PROTEINS
RADIOACTIVITY
SKIN ABSORPTION
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
UPTAKE
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ARTHROPODS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
CRUSTACEANS
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
ECOSYSTEMS
ENDOCRINE GLANDS
GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT
GLANDS
INJECTION
INTAKE
INVERTEBRATES
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC MERCURY COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
560304* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Invertebrates- (-1987)
520200 - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)