Distributions of mercury and selenium in rats ingesting mercury selenide nanoparticles

Mercury (Hg) is one of the most toxic environmental pollutants, and is biocondensed via the food chain. Selenium (Se) is an essential element that possesses an antagonistic property towards Hg in vivo. The antagonistic property is explained by the assumption that Hg and Se directly interact to form HgSe nanoparticles (HgSe NPs) in organs. It is presumed that the toxic effects of HgSe NPs are lower than that of ionic Hg; however, no precise evaluation has been conducted so far. In the present study, we evaluated the distribution of HgSe NPs ingested in Se-deficient rats. The recovery of serum selenoproteins from a deficient level was not observed in rats orally administered HgSe NPs. In addition, the excretion of Hg and Se via urine was not observed. Interestingly, the biosynthesis of selenoproteins and urinary selenometabolites would have required the production of selenide through the degradation of HgSe NPs. Therefore, it seems that selenide and Hg are not released from HgSe NPs in vivo. The administration of HgSe NPs did not increase Hg and Se concentrations in organs, and almost all HgSe NPs were recovered in feces, indicating no or low bioaccessibility of HgSe NPs even in Se-deficient rats. These results suggest that HgSe NPs are biologically inert and do not become a secondary environmental pollutant of Hg.