Effect of milk on intestinal fluid accumulation and renal injury following mercuric chloride ingestion in rats

To investigate the effect of milk on intestinal fluid accumulation and renal injury following mercuric chloride (HgCl2) ingestion, 10 ml kg−1 of saline or 10 mg kg−1 of HgCl2 dissolved in 10 ml kg−1 of water or raw milk was administered enterally to rats and the mercury content in biological samples was determined by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry. Three hours after administration, the intestinal water content in rats that received HgCl2 in water (group S2) was significantly higher than in rats that received saline (group S1) (P < 0.01) or HgCl2 in milk (group S3) (P < 0.01). The amount of mercury detected per gram dry weight of small intestine was higher in group S2 than in group S3 (P < 0.05). Seventy-two hours after administration, both the serum urea nitrogen and creatinine concentrations in rats that received HgCl2 in milk (group L3) were significantly higher than in rats that received saline (group L1) (P < 0.05) or HgCl2 in water (group L2) (P < 0.05). Mercury levels in many of the biological samples in group L3 were higher than in group L2 (P < 0.05). Milk may reduce the intestinal cytotoxicity of mercury but it promotes its absorption, which may lessen intestinal fluid accumulation but worsen renal injury. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.