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Science 10 March 1972:
Vol. 175. no. 4026, pp. 1122 - 1124
DOI: 10.1126/science.175.4026.1122
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Articles

Selenium: Relation to Decreased Toxicity of Methylmercury Added to Diets Containing Tuna

H. E. Ganther 1, C. Goudie 2, M. L. Sunde 2, M. J. Kopecky 3, P. Wagner 4, Sang-Hwan Oh 4, and W. G. Hoekstra 4

1 Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706
2 Department of Poultry Science, University of Wisconsin
3 Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin
4 Departments of Nutritional Sciences and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin

Japanese quail given 20 parts per million of mercury as methylmercury in diets containing 17 percent (by weight) tuna survived longer than quail given this concentration of methylmercury in a corn-soya diet. Tuna has a relatively high content of selenium and tends to accumulate additional selenium when mercury is present. A content of selenium in the diet comparable to that supplied by tuna decreased methylmercury toxicity in rats. Selenium in tuna, far from being a hazard in itself, may lessen the danger to man of mercury in tuna.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Inhibition of the Human Thioredoxin System: A MOLECULAR MECHANISM OF MERCURY TOXICITY.
C. M. L. Carvalho, E.-H. Chew, S. I. Hashemy, J. Lu, and A. Holmgren (2008)
J. Biol. Chem. 283, 11913-11923
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Mercury and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Men.
K. Yoshizawa, E. B. Rimm, J. S. Morris, V. L. Spate, C.-c. Hsieh, D. Spiegelman, M. J. Stampfer, and W. C. Willett (2002)
N. Engl. J. Med. 347, 1755-1760
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Mortality from cardiovascular diseases and exposure to inorganic mercury.
P Boffetta, G Sallsten, M Garcia-Gomez, V Pompe-Kirn, D Zaridze, M Bulbulyan, J-D Caballero, F Ceccarelli, A B Kobal, and E Merler (2001)
Occup. Environ. Med. 58, 461-466
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Effect of selenium on vanadium toxicity in different regions of rat brain.
S. S. Haider, A A Abdel-Gayoum, M. El-Fakhri, and K. M Ghwarsha (1998)
Human and Experimental Toxicology 17, 23-28
   Abstract »    PDF »
Biodisponibilidad del selenio y metodos de evaluacion/Selenium bioavailability and methods of evaluation.
J. Ortuno, G. Ros, M.J. Periago, C. Martinez, and G. Lopez (1996)
Food Science and Technology International 2, 135-150
   PDF »
Intake of Mercury From Fish, Lipid Peroxidation, and the Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Coronary, Cardiovascular, and Any Death in Eastern Finnish Men.
J. T. Salonen, K. Seppanen, K. Nyyssonen, H. Korpela, J. Kauhanen, M. Kantola, J. Tuomilehto, H. Esterbauer, F. Tatzber, and R. Salonen (1995)
Circulation 91, 645-655
   Abstract »    Full Text »
Distributions of Elements in the Human Retinal Pigment Epithelium.
R. J. Ulshafer, C. B. Allen, and M. L. Rubin (1990)
Arch Ophthalmol 108, 113-117
   Abstract »    PDF »
Mercury in Fish.
T. H. Jukes (1975)
JAMA 233, 1001-1002
   Abstract »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)