Protective effects of glutathione and vitamins on the nutrients of developing chick against methylmercury intoxication

The investigation provides evidences for the suitability of glutathione, vitamin B complex and vitamin E in the elimination of mercury and restoration of nutritional status in developing chick, pretoxicated with methylmercury chloride (MeHgCl). For this purpose a model was developed taking one day old chick as an experimental subject. Four groups of animals were intoxicated with a daily dose (1 mg/Kg) of MeHgCl for seven days. Out of these, one group was kept without any treatment and sacrificed on the fifteenth day, while the rest were treated separately with vitamin B-complex (20 mg/Kg), vitamin E (60 mg/Kg) and glutathione (50 mg/Kg) for another seven days. All the animals were sacrificed on the fifteenth day. The brain, liver, kidney, muscles, blood and fecal matter were screened analytically and biochemically. Study shows a reduction in the body and tissue weights, deposition of mercury in tissues and decrease of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, various vitamins and essential minerals in MeHgCl intoxicated animals. The data also reveal, that the monothiol and vitamins are quite efficient in mercury elimination both from nervous and non-nervous tissues of developing chick, and simultaneously restores food and water intake. Such detoxicated animals not only recovered proteins, lipids and carbohydrates and micro-nutrients (vitamins and minerals) leading to the recovery of body weight and maintenance of animal's health, but also provided nutritive and mercury free food to the consumers.