J Toxicol Sci. 2010 Feb;35(1):101-5. doi: 10.2131/jts.35.101.
Chlorella (Parachlorella beyerinckii CK-5), previously identified as Chlorella vulgaris CK-5, is a unicellular green algae that has for many years been used as a nutritional supplement. In order to investigate the effects of methylmercury (MeHg) detoxification by Chlorella, we examined the absorption and excretion of MeHg in mice. Female C57BL/6N mice were randomly divided into three groups of five, and were housed in metabolism cages. Mice were orally administered MeHg chloride at doses of 5 mg (4 mg Hg)/kg body weight with or without 100 mg/mouse of P. beyerinckii powder (BP), and were assigned to either a MeHg group or MeHg + BP group, accordingly. Twenty-four hr after oral administration, feces and urine were collected, and blood, liver, and kidney samples were obtained. Total mercury contents in the samples obtained were determined using an atomic absorption method. The amounts of Hg excreted in feces and urine of the MeHg + BP group were increased nearly 1.9 and 2.2-fold compared with those of the MeHg group. On the other hand, blood and organ Hg levels were not significantly different between two groups. These results suggest that the intake of BP may induce the excretion of Hg both in feces and urine, although it does not affect MeHg absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. The effect of BP on the tissue mercury accumulation may become evident in a long-term experiment.
小球藻（拟球藻 CK-5），以前被鉴定为普通小球藻 CK-5，是一种单细胞绿藻，多年来一直被用作营养补充剂。为了研究小球藻对甲基汞（MeHg）的解毒作用，我们研究了 MeHg 在小鼠体内的吸收和排泄。将雌性 C57BL/6N 小鼠随机分为三组，每组五只，并饲养在代谢笼中。用 MeHg 氯化物以 5mg（4mgHg）/kg 体重的剂量经口给药，同时给予或不给予 100mg/只的拟球藻粉（BP），并分别将其分配到 MeHg 组或 MeHg+BP 组。经口给药 24 小时后，收集粪便和尿液，并采集血液、肝脏和肾脏样本。用原子吸收法测定样品中的总汞含量。与 MeHg 组相比，MeHg+BP 组的粪便和尿液中 Hg 的排泄量分别增加了近 1.9 倍和 2.2 倍。另一方面，两组之间的血液和器官 Hg 水平没有显著差异。这些结果表明，BP 的摄入可能会诱导 Hg 从粪便和尿液中排泄，尽管它不会影响胃肠道对 MeHg 的吸收。BP 对组织汞积累的影响可能在长期实验中变得明显。
