Silver-induced lipid peroxidation in mice: interactions with selenium and nickel.

Lipid peroxidation in silver-treated mice was assayed by measuring the malondialdehyde (MDA) content of liver, kidney and brain tissue. After a single intraperitoneal injection of 20 mg/kg silver lactate, lipid peroxidation was significantly increased in the liver 3, 12 and 48 h after exposure whereas MDA levels in kidney and brain were not significantly affected. Pretreatment with 2 mg/kg sodium selenite i.p. for 2 days resulted in an increase in silver-induced lipid peroxidation in the liver. Liver from mice treated with 20 mg/kg silver lactate followed by an injection of 35 micrograms/kg nickel chloride had significantly higher contents of MDA than did livers from mice treated with either silver or nickel alone, suggesting a synergism between silver and other lipid peroxidation-inducing compounds.