M. Kasuya
Sep 1, 1972
Citations
0
Influential Citations
48
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
Toxicology and applied pharmacology
Abstract
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to show the relationship between the structure of mercurial compounds and their toxicity on nervous tissue in culture. Dorsal root ganglia from chick embryos were cultured in a medium containing different mercurial compounds. These included mercuric chloride, methylmercuric chloride, methylmercuric iodide, ethylmercuric chloride, ethylmercuric phosphate, p -chloromercuribenzoic acid (PCMB), phenylmercuric chloride, phenylmercuric iodide, phenylmercuric acetate, phenylmercuric p -toluenesulfonanilide, p -tolylmercuric chloride and salyrganic acid. Inorganic mercury and salyrganic acid were the least toxic; phenylmercuric p -toluenesulfonanilide was the most toxic. PCMB at low concentration stimulated the outgrowth of nerve fibers. Replacement of the phenyl group of mercuric chloride and iodide by a methyl group brought about an increase in toxicity of these compounds. Phenyl- and methylmercuric chloride produced a stronger toxicity than phenyl- and methylmercuric iodide. Methylmercuric chloride (molecular size 4.343 A) was approximately as toxic as compounds having a multiple number of this value. Sphingomyelin and phosphatidyl- l -serine inhibited the toxic effect of ethylmercuric chloride, whereas l -cysteine hydrochloride, dl -β-mercaptovaline ( dl -penicillamine), 2,3-dimercaptopropanol (BAL), cholesterol, cholesterol palmitate, cephalin and lecithin did not inhibit the toxic effect of mercury compounds. From these results, it was postulated that the binding of mercury compounds of these hydrophobic and hydrophilic moieties with specific binding sites on membranes is a major factor in their toxic action.