[Hepatotoxicity of cinnabar and its compound in mice after administration based on content of metal elements in vivo]

The toxic effects of mercury and trace metal elements in cinnabar on the liver of mice were investigated, and the toxicity of cinnabar was compared with that of mercury(Hg) and selenium(Se), in order to provide suggestions for the safe use of cinnabar. Male KM mice were divided into control group, low-dose(50 mg·kg~(-1)) and high-dose(200 mg·kg~(-1)) cinnabar groups, cinnabar tranquilizing pill(ZSASW) group(600 mg·kg~(-1)), HgS group(50 mg·kg~(-1)),Hg(NO_3)_2 group(1.2 mg·kg~(-1)), Na_2SeO_3 group(1 mg·kg~(-1)), HgS-Na_2SeO_3 group(HgS: 50 mg·kg~(-1), Na_2SeO_3: 1 mg·kg~(-1)), ZS-Na_2SeO_3 group(ZS: 50 mg·kg~(-1), Na_2SeO_3: 1 mg·kg~(-1)), and ZSASW-Na_2SeO_3 group(ZSASW: 600 mg·kg~(-1), Na_2SeO_3: 1 mg·kg~(-1)), with eight mice in each group. They were administered intragastrically for one month continuously. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining was used to observe the pathological changes in the liver tissue of mice. The apoptosis of liver cells in mice was analyzed by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling(TUNEL) method. The content of alanine aminotransferase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST), and gamma-glutamyl transferase(γ-GT) in the serum of mice was detected by an automatic biochemical analyzer. The content of trace metal elements in the liver of mice was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS). The content of Hg and Se in the liver of mice was determined by a cold atomic absorption spectrometer and an atomic fluorescence spectrometer, respectively. The results showed that the liver cells of mice in the high-dose cinnabar group, the Na_2SeO_3 group, and the Hg(NO_3)_2 group had different degrees of swelling and blurred or shrunken cell boundaries. The TUNEL experiment results showed that some liver cells in the high-dose cinnabar group, the Na_2SeO_3 group, and the Hg(NO_3)_2 group had a tendency to be larger than other cells. The ALT content in the low-dose cinnabar group was significantly lower than that in the control group, and the γ-GT content in the liver of mice in the Na_2SeO_3 group was also significantly lower than that in the control group. However, the γ-GT level in the serum of mice in the HgS-Na_2SeO_3 group and the Hg(NO_3)_2 group was significantly higher than that in the control group, and the AST content in the liver of mice in the Na_2SeO_3 group was also significantly higher than that in the control group. There was no significant difference in the content of trace metal elements in the liver of mice in each drug administration group compared with that in the control group. The trace metal elements with the highest content in the liver of mice were magnesium(Mg), calcium(Ca), and iron(Fe). The elements with the lowest content were scandium(Sc), titanium(Ti), vanadium(V), chromium(Cr), manganese(Mn), cobalt(Co), nickel(Ni), and strontium(Sr). The relative standard deviation(RSD) of Hg content in the liver of mice in each drug administration group compared with that in the control group was 136%. The highest Hg content was found in the mice in the high-dose cinnabar group, which was 16.66 μg·g~(-1), and the lowest Hg content was found in the liver of mice in the HgS-Na_2SeO_3 group, which was 0.5 μg·g~(-1). The RSD value of Se element content in the liver of mice in each administration group compared with that in the control group was 10.63%. The lowest Se content was in the ZSASW group, which was 3.50 μg·g~(-1), and the highest was in the ZSASW-Na_2SeO_3 group, which was 4.95 μg·g~(-1). The above experiments indicated that the toxicity of cinnabar and its compound ZSASW was much lower than that of Hg(NO_3)_2 and Na_2SeO_3. The content of Hg element in the liver was positively correlated with the administration dose, and Se element had a certain antagonistic effect on Hg element. When cinnabar was used scientifically under the guidance of a physician with the correct dosage and administration time, it was safe and non-toxic.