Alkyl mercury-induced toxicity: multiple mechanisms of action. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Alkyl Mercury-Induced Toxicity: Multiple Mechanisms of Action.
Rev Environ Contam Toxicol. 2017;240:105-149. PMID: 27161558
John F Risher
There are a number of mechanisms by which alkylmercury compounds cause toxic action in the body. Collectively, published studies reveal that there are some similarities between the mechanisms of the toxic action of the mono-alkyl mercury compounds methylmercury (MeHg) and ethylmercury (EtHg). This paper represents a summary of some of the studies regarding these mechanisms of action in order to facilitate the understanding of the many varied effects of alkylmercurials in the human body. The similarities in mechanisms of toxicity for MeHg and EtHg are presented and compared. The difference in manifested toxicity of MeHg and EtHg are likely the result of the differences in exposure, metabolism, and elimination from the body, rather than differences in mechanisms of action between the two.