This review describes the current understanding and the mechanisms involved by different forms of mercury in eliciting their toxicity in kidney along with the knowledge of major intracellular reductant that plays important role in the mitigation of mercury toxicity for the maintenance of homeostasis within the body of living organisms. Mercury toxicity has the ability to produce a variety of deleterious health effects, ranging from single to multiple target effects inside the body of living organisms.

Gender differences have been noted in the tissue distribution of mercury. We sought to determine if the uptake of low-dose inorganic mercury into motor neurons dilifers between male and female mice. In conclusion, female mice take up more inorganic mercury into their motor neurons than do male mice. This may be related to a smaller deposition of mercury in the female kidney. leaving more circulating mercury available to be taken up by motor axons.

Mercury is a well-known highly toxic metal. In this study, we characterize and investigate the cytotoxicity and its possible mechanisms of inorganic mercury in pancreatic beta-cells. Our results suggest that HgCl2-induced oxidative stress causes pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction and cytotoxicity involved the co-existence of apoptotic and necrotic cell death.

A close link between stress protein up-regulation and oxidative damage may counteract nephrotoxicity induced by toxic metals. As biochemical indicators of oxidative stress we detected reactive oxygen species ROS and nitrogen species RNS. Our results clearly demonstrated that mercury increases ROS and RNS levels. These findings are corroborated by evident mitochondrial damage, apoptosis or necrosis.

Heavy metals can negatively influence the reproduction due to the fact that they are able to impair the immune reactions including autoantibody production in susceptible individuals. In such a way the infertility could be also caused by altered pathologic immune reaction. In patients with metal intolerance diagnosed by the MELISA® test the release of metal ions from dental materials can be one of the stimulating factors which may adversely affect fertility.

A patient with inorganic mercury intoxication had developed a slowly progressive generalized paralysis of all limbs. Electrophysiologic studies revealed axonal polyneuropathy involving both motor and sensory fibers. Sural nerve biopsy demonstrated axonal degeneration with demyelination and a predominant loss of large myelinated fibers.

The pituitary is a main target for inorganic mercury (I-Hg) deposition and accumulation within the brain. There is a significant, inverse relationship between chronic mercury exposure and levels of luteinizing hormone (LH). LH is the only hormone with a rare and well characterized, high affinity binding site for mercury. It is likely that LH is an early and significant target of chronic mercury exposure and a causal mechanism for chronic mercury exposure and associated disease.

There is a widespread lack of knowledge from the medical profession about the main excretatory pathway of inorganic mercury. The following is a compilation of studies indicating inorganic mercury, as from dental mercury fillings, is mainly execreted in the feces

Our results support the hypothesis that low-level environmental exposure to Hg is one potential factor in the development of autoimmune disease and may lower the threshold for disease development in susceptible individuals who later encounter the appropriate infectious or toxic triggers of disease.

There is evidence that inorganic mercury (iHg) and organic mercury have a range of immunotoxic effects, including immune suppression and induction of autoimmunity. In this study, we investigated the effect of iHg on a model of autoimmune heart disease in mice induced by infection with coxsackievirus B3. We show for the first time that low-dose Hg exposure increases chronic myocarditis and DCM in a murine model.

The Endothelium is a single cell layer thick membrane that covers the entire circulatory and lymphatic systems in your body. Endothelial dysfunction is a hallmark for vascular diseases and a wide range circulatory ailments. One of the main causes of endothelial dysfunction is the presence and build up of toxic heavy metals including Mercury, Lead, Aluminum, Arsenic and Cadmium.

Recently published in the Journal for Alzheimer's Disease was a study that performed a meta-analysis of 106 case-control or comparative cohort studies to associate mercury as a causative factor in Alzheimer's disease. Noting that the main source of mercury in the human body is dental amalgam (1 - 27 ug a day)

In this study we investigated the effects of prenatal exposure to MeHg and Hg vapor on Hg concentrations in the brain of neonatal rats. Among animals not exposed to MeHg, animals exposed to Hg vapor had significantly greater organic and inorganic brain Hg levels than did unexposed animals. This interaction, heretofore not reported, suggests that coexposure to MeHg and Hg vapor at levels relevant to human exposure might elevate neurotoxic risks.