Teaching Institute of Public Health, Primorsko-Goranska County, Rijeka, Croatia.
J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng. 2013;48(11):1325-32. doi: 10.1080/10934529.2013.781869.
The aim of this study was to analyze and evaluate risks of long-term exposure to mercury in hares (Lepus europaeus Pallas), with a chemical-analytical approach evaluating median mass fraction of toxic mercury in the hares organs (liver, kidney, muscle and brain). To obtain better insight into possible effects of mercury, the study included screening of the oxidative status after long term exposure to low concentrations of mercury. Hares organs were analyzed for total mercury concentration by AAS. Glutathione and glutathione-dependent enzymes status was also investigated. The median mercury concentrations (wet weight) in the liver, kidney, muscle and brain of the hares ranged from 0.058-0.189, 0.138-0.406, 0.013-0.046 and 0.022-0.102 μg/g respectively. Concentration of the glutathione (GSH), glutathione-peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione-reductase (GR) activity increased with the mercury concentration. However, glutathione S-transferase (GST) and superoxide-dismutase (SOD) activity decreased with the mercury concentration. The results of this study show the impact of environmentally absorbed mercury on the antioxidant status of the examined hares. Further research on long-term exposure to low concentrations of mercury is needed.
本研究旨在分析和评估长期暴露于汞（Lepus europaeus Pallas）对野兔的风险，采用化学分析方法评估野兔器官（肝脏、肾脏、肌肉和大脑）中有毒汞的质量分数中位数。为了更好地了解汞可能产生的影响，该研究还对长期低浓度汞暴露后的氧化状态进行了筛选。采用原子吸收光谱法（AAS）分析了野兔器官中总汞的浓度。还研究了谷胱甘肽和谷胱甘肽依赖酶的状态。肝脏、肾脏、肌肉和大脑中汞的质量分数中位数（湿重）分别为 0.058-0.189、0.138-0.406、0.013-0.046 和 0.022-0.102μg/g。谷胱甘肽（GSH）、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GPx）和谷胱甘肽还原酶（GR）的浓度随汞浓度的增加而增加。然而，谷胱甘肽 S-转移酶（GST）和超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）的活性随汞浓度的增加而降低。本研究结果表明，环境吸收的汞对所研究野兔的抗氧化状态有影响。需要进一步研究长期低浓度汞暴露的影响。
