Interaction of alkylmercuric compounds with sodium selenite. I. Metabolism of ethylmercuric chloride administered alone and in combination with sodium selenite in rats.

The effect of sodium selenite administered intragastrically in repeated doses to rats receiving ethylmercuric chloride po in various repeated doses (0.25 or 2.5 mg Hg/kg) on the excretion, whole-body retention, and organ distribution of mercury was studied. Selenium was found to affect the distribution of ethylmercury among tissues and subcellular fractions of the kidneys and liver as well as its binding to proteins of soluble fractions in these organs. Similarities and differences between the effect of interaction of sodium selenite with ethylmercuric chloride and methylmercury as well as inorganic mercury are also discussed.