Journal
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
Volume 11, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
NATURE PORTFOLIO
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96579-y
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Funding
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan [18H05293]
- Urakami Foundation for Food and Food Culture Promotion
- Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [18H05293] Funding Source: KAKEN
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Our study revealed the transformation of MeHg to (MeHg)2S in the gut and its subsequent fate, leading to the production of volatile DMeHg in the body.
A previous study by our group indicated that methylmercury (MeHg) is biotransformed to bismethylmercury sulfide [(MeHg)(2)S)] by interaction with reactive sulfur species (RSS) produced in the body. In the present study, we explored the transformation of MeHg to (MeHg)(2)S in the gut and the subsequent fate of (MeHg)(2)S in vitro and in vivo. An ex vivo experiment suggested the possibility of the extracellular transformation of MeHg to (MeHg)(2)S in the distal colon, and accordingly, the MeHg sulfur adduct was detected in the intestinal contents and feces of mice administered MeHg, suggesting that (MeHg)(2)S is formed through reactions between MeHg and RSS in the gut. In a cell-free system, we found that (MeHg)(2)S undergoes degradation in a time-dependent manner, resulting in the formation of mercury sulfide and dimethylmercury (DMeHg), as determined by X-ray diffraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, respectively. We also identified DMeHg in the expiration after the intraperitoneal administration of (MeHg)(2)S to mice. Thus, our present study identified a new fate of MeHg through (MeHg)(2)S as an intermediate, which leads to conversion of volatile DMeHg in the body.
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