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Effects of Halides on Binding of Trace Concentrations of Mercury to Human Erythrocytes
Author(s) -
Azen Edwin A.,
Jensen Lorene
Publication year - 1968
Publication title -
british journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.907
H-Index - 186
eISSN - 1365-2141
pISSN - 0007-1048
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1968.tb00371.x
Subject(s) - mercury (programming language) , chemistry , bromide , halide , iodide , chloride , inorganic chemistry , binding site , biochemistry , organic chemistry , computer science , programming language
S ummary . Trace concentrations of mercury (in the range of 10 ‐ ‐ 6 M) in the presence of 0.144 M‐NaCl or NaBr bind to erythrocytes to a limited degree, whereas mercury in the presence of 0.144 M‐NaI under similar conditions is completely bound by erythrocytes. The limited binding of mercury to erythrocytes in the presence of bromide and chloride is due to the presence of substances in the incubation fluid that bind mercury. Little of the mercury in iodide solution is bound by these extracellular substances, whereas most of the mercury in bromide and chloride solution is bound to these substances. The erythrocyte membrane appears to function like a dialysis membrane by permitting the unbound fraction (small mercury‐halide complexes) to enter erythrocytes for intracellular binding while excluding the bound fraction of mercury (large molecules). The high concentration of binding substances in the erythrocytes results in binding of mercury that would not bind to dilute extracellular substances. Cellulose dialysis tubing mimics many of the properties of the erythrocyte system because of the presence of binding sites for mercury on the tubing. The data are best explained by the increasing affinity of chloride, bromide and iodide ions for mercury and the reciprocally related ease with which halides can be displaced from mercury‐halide complexes to form ‘active’ positively charged mercury ions for binding to receptor sites. The factors demonstrated in this system may be relevant to the accumulation of other metals within cells.