Bridges Christy C, Zalups Rudolfs K
Division of Basic Medical Sciences, Mercer University School of Medicine, 1550 College Street, Macon, GA, 31207, USA.
Arch Toxicol. 2017 Jan;91(1):63-81. doi: 10.1007/s00204-016-1803-y. Epub 2016 Jul 15.
Mercury exists in the environment in various forms, all of which pose a risk to human health. Despite guidelines regulating the industrial release of mercury into the environment, humans continue to be exposed regularly to various forms of this metal via inhalation or ingestion. Following exposure, mercuric ions are taken up by and accumulate in numerous organs, including brain, intestine, kidney, liver, and placenta. In order to understand the toxicological effects of exposure to mercury, a thorough understanding of the mechanisms that facilitate entry of mercuric ions into target cells must first be obtained. A number of mechanisms for the transport of mercuric ions into target cells and organs have been proposed in recent years. However, the ability of these mechanisms to transport mercuric ions and the regulatory features of these carriers have not been characterized completely. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current findings related to the mechanisms that may be involved in the transport of inorganic and organic forms of mercury in target tissues and organs. This review will describe mechanisms known to be involved in the transport of mercury and will also propose additional mechanisms that may potentially be involved in the transport of mercuric ions into target cells.
汞以多种形式存在于环境中，所有这些形式都对人类健康构成风险。尽管有相关指南对汞向环境中的工业排放进行规范，但人类仍持续通过吸入或摄入等途径，经常接触到这种金属的各种形式。接触后，汞离子会被包括脑、肠道、肾脏、肝脏和胎盘在内的众多器官摄取并蓄积。为了了解汞暴露的毒理学效应，必须首先全面了解促进汞离子进入靶细胞的机制。近年来，已经提出了多种汞离子转运至靶细胞和器官的机制。然而，这些机制转运汞离子的能力以及这些载体的调控特性尚未得到全面表征。本综述的目的是总结目前与靶组织和器官中无机和有机汞形式转运可能涉及的机制相关的研究结果。本综述将描述已知参与汞转运的机制，还将提出可能潜在参与汞离子转运至靶细胞的其他机制。
