Evaluation of dietary exposure of crabs to iHg or MeHg, w/o co-exposure to Se

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From the data presented, it is possible to state that selenium changes the mechanism of action of the investigated mercury species and reduces the tissue damage caused by them, factors which define a modification on the toxicodynamics of these species on crabs. Further, the co-exposure to selenium proved to alter the transport of the mercury species by blood to the various organs as well as to decrease their uptake and accumulation, which was also observed for the Se : Hg ratio evaluation, showing also a change in the toxicokinetics of mercury species in crabs tissues. According to Khan et al.,[6] though the presence of selenium may presumably turn the mercury species less bioavailable because of the strong Hg–Se bonding, the formation of such compounds could also induce a selenium deficiency, especially when considering the large number of affected tissues for the exposure to mercury species without selenate in the evaluation of the Se : Hg ratio.

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