Protective Effect of Low Concentrations of Mercury Against HgCl₂-Induced Nephrotoxicity

Abstract

The reduction of HgCl₂-induced nephrotoxicity has been achieved by several factors affecting either the renal haemodynamics or the organ and/or subcellular distribution or excretion of mercury. Six main overlapping classes of compounds have been used to protect against mercury nephrotoxicity, these including beta-blocking agents, diuretics, chelators, substances that induce metallothioneins, agents involving a competition with mercury for the same binding sites or various nephrotoxicants. Among these, the pretreatment with small doses of Hg is of special interest because it provides a protection against nephrotoxic doses of HgCl₂ by a mechanism which seems to be ubiquitous in all metal nephrotoxicology since the same holds true for Ag, As, Cd, etc (Yoshikawa, 1970). Against this background, the present work was undertaken to determine whether a pretreatment with low concentrations of mercury, the so-called “Mercurius corrosivus” also protects against lethal doses of HgCl₂.