Objective To study the mechanism on nephrotoxi city of mercury(Hg) and the preventive effect of 2,3-dimercaptopropane-1-sulf
onate (DMPS) and D-penicillamine (DPA) attenuating acute toxicity of mercuric c hloride (HgCl\-2).Methods 48 Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups.The first group was injected subcutaneously with 0.9% saline. The rats in next thre e groups were respectively subcutaneously injected with 0.75, 1.5, 2.5 mg/kg H gCl\-2.Pretreated with DMPS and DPA respectively 2 hours earlier, The rats in th e fifth and sixth group were given an injection with 2.5 mg/kg HgCl\-2. After b eing treated 12 hours later, the urine was collected.And the activities of urina ry N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), the co ntents of urinary protein and urinary Hg were determined. All rats were anatomiz ed 48 hours later and the liver and kidney were excised. Then renal Hg and hepat ic Hg were determined.Results DMPS decreased the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) an d glutathione (GSH),the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), the acti vities of urinary NAG and urinary ALP and the content of urinary protein. Althou gh DPA mitigated the activities of urinary NAG and the content of urinary protei n
significantly,it had no effect on the activities of urinary ALP.Both the conte nt of GSH and activities of GSH-Px of the DMPS and DPA preventive group were si gnificantly higher in the kidney and liver than those of 2.5 mg/kg Hg group.DPA reduced the content of renal Hg significantly.Conclusion DMPS can more efficiently prevent the
nephrotoxicity of H g than DPA.DMPS can significantly attenuate the lipid peroxidation in kidney,how ever DPA has no effect.Both DMPS and DPA can significantly diminish the depletio n of gSH and GSH-Px.DPA results in the redistribution of Hg from the kidney to other tissues and organs,however the redistribution of Hg doesn't occur to DMPS.