Mercury has a long history as an antimicrobial agent effective against eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. Despite its prolonged use, the basis for mercury toxicity in prokaryotes is not well understood. Archaea, like bacteria, are prokaryotes but they use a simplified version of the eukaryotic transcription apparatus. This study examined the mechanism of mercury toxicity to the archaeal prok...

Survival of freezing not only requires organisms to tolerate ice formation within their body, but also depends on the rapid redistribution of water and cryoprotective compounds between intra- and extracellular compartments. Aquaporins are transmembrane proteins that serve as the major pathway through which water and small uncharged solutes (e.g. glycerol) enter and leave the cell. Consequently,...

Mercury (II) is a highly toxic metal which induced oxidative stress in the living organism. In the present study we examined the effect of S-Allyl cysteine (SAC) against the mercuric chloride (Hgcl2) intoxicated in albino rat model. The animals were treated with sub-leathal dose of mercuric chloride (1.23 mg/kg body wt) for 7 days. After scheduled treatetment the animals were decapitated and wh...

The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of different means of depleting glutathione (GSH) in the kidneys and liver on the renal and hepatic accumulation and disposition of a nontoxic dose of inorganic mercury. Renal and hepatic disposition of mercury were evaluated 1 hr after the intravenous administration of a 0.5 mumol/kg dose of mercuric chloride in control rats and ...

The present study investigates the influence of methanolic fraction (MF) of Tribulus terrestris fruit extract on the kidney tissues of mercury intoxicated mice, Mus musculus. At median-lethal dose of mercuric chloride (12.9 mg/kg body weight), the whole kidney tissue showed an increased level of lipid peroxidation (LPO), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and simultaneously a decreased lev...

An investigation was undertaken to study the factors which cause grossly elevated values in an automated procedure for chloride when the sample is contaminated with bromide. The questioned mercuric thiocyanate method of the autoanalyzer was compared to a similar system utilizing mercuric 2, 4, 6-tripyridyl-s-triazine as a substitute ligand source in the chloride exchange system. It was determin...

The comparative resistance of bacteria and human tissue cells to antiseptics and other chemicals may be easily tested by tissue cultures under conditions which approximate those found in the living body. A comparative study shows that while human cells (connective tissue and wandering cells) are highly resistant to many antiseptics, they are in general more easily killed than bacteria (Staphylo...