ABSTRACT
Objective: To study the accumulation of mercury in liver, kidney and brain of rats and its toxicity on liver and kidney after 4 weeks of administration of different doses of Zhuhong ointment, in order to provide data reference for the safe clinical use of Zhuhong ointment. Method: Forty-four Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 4 groups:control group, normal-dose group (1.875 mg·kg-1), medium-dose group (37.5 mg·kg-1), and high-dose group (75 mg·kg-1). After transdermal administration for consecutive 4 weeks, the mercury content in the urine, blood, liver, kidney and brain of the rats was measured. In addition, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), serum urea nitrogen (BUN), and serum creatinine (SCr), urine β2-miSCroglobulin (β2-BMG) and urine N-acetyl-beta-D glucosidase (NAG) contents were measured, and pathological morphology changes of liver and kidney were observed. Result:Compared with the control group, the levels of blood mercury and urine mercury in Zhuhong ointment groups showed significant increases after administration for 4 weeks(PPPPPPConclusion:Zhuhong ointment is not toxic at the normal dose, but long-term use can lead to the accumulation of mercury in liver, kidney and bra, which causes liver and kidney toxicity. This study did not find a more sensitive indicator of liver and kidney toxicity than liver and kidney pathology. However, because the rising levels of urinary mercury and blood mercury may predict toxicity, the relationship between mercury exposure and toxicity could be further studied. This study provides a reference for the rational use and toxicity monitoring of Zhuhong ointment.