Selenomethionine protects against neuronal degeneration by methylmercury in the developing rat brain.

硒是人体必需的元素，对甲基汞的毒性有一定的保护作用。我们利用一种适合推断甲基汞对人胎脑影响的出生后大鼠模型(Eco Tox Env Saf 2010)，检测了Se对甲基汞所致的发育中大鼠脑内神经元变性的保护作用。在齿鲸中，甲基汞浓度与总汞浓度呈正相关。然而，甲基汞的浓度似乎达到了一个平台期。在所有齿鲸中，Se/I-Hg摩尔比随着T-Hg浓度的增加而降低，最终达到1的恒定值(Se：I-Hg=1：1)。EPMA分析表明，宽吻海豚体内汞和硒存在于同一位置。捕鲸镇居民血Hg、Se男女均呈显著正相关。与汞水平相关的血液中硒的增加可能在保护居民免受甲基汞中毒方面发挥作用。

Selenium(Se) is an essential element and may play a role for the protection of MeHg toxicity. We have detected the protective effect of Se against neuronal degeneration induced by MeHg in the developing postnatal rat brain by using a postnatal model rat which is suitable to extrapolate the effects of MeHg in the fetus brain of human (Eco Tox Env Saf 2010). In tooth-whales, MeHg concentrations were positively associated with T-Hg concentrations. However, the MeHg concentrations appeared to reach a plateau. In all species of tooth-whales, Se/I-Hg molar ratio decreased with the increase in T-Hg concentrations, and eventually reached a constant ratio of 1 (Se:I-Hg=1:1). EPMA showed that Hg and Se in the bottlenose dolphin existed in the same place. Hg and Se in blood of inhabitants in a whaling town showed significant and positive correlations in both sexes. The increased Se in blood associated with the Hg level may play a role in protecting against MeHg toxicity in the inhabitants.