Hair Mercury Association with Selenium, Serum Lipid Spectrum, and Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase Activity in Adults Alexey A. Tinkov & Margarita G. Skalnaya & Vasily A. Demidov & Eugeny P. Serebryansky & Alexandr A. Nikonorov & Anatoly V. Skalny Received: 6 August 2014 /Accepted: 7 September 2014 /Published online: 25 September 2014 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014 Abstract The primary objective of the research is to estimate the dependence between hair mercury content, hair selenium, mercury-to-selenium ratio, serum lipid spectrum, and gamma- glutamyl transferase (GGT) activity in 63 adults (40 men and 23 women). Serum triglyceride (TG) concentration in the high-mercury group significantly exceeded the values obtain- ed for low- and medium-mercury groups by 72 and 42 %, respectively. Serum GGT activity in the examinees from high- Hg group significantly exceeded the values of the first and the second groups by 75 and 28 %, respectively. Statistical anal- ysis of the male sample revealed similar dependences. Surprisingly, no significant changes in the parameters ana- lyzed were detected in the female sample. In all analyzed samples, hair mercury was not associated with hair selenium concentrations. Significant correlation between hair mercury content and serum TG concentration (r =0.531) and GGT activity (r =0.524) in the general sample of the examinees was detected. The respective correlations were observed in the male sample. Hair mercury-to-selenium ratios significant- ly correlated with body weight (r =0.310), body mass index (r =0.250), serum TG (r =0.389), atherogenic index (r = 0.257), and GGT activity (r =0.393). The same correlations were observed in the male sample. Hg/Se ratio in women did not correlate with the analyzed parameters. Generally, the results of the current study show the following: (1) hair mercury is associated with serum TG concentration and GGT activity in men, (2) hair selenium content is not related to hair mercury concentration, and (3) mercury-to-selenium ratio correlates with lipid spectrum parameters and GGT activity. Keywords Mercury . Hair . Selenium . Mercury-to-selenium ratio . Gamma-glutamyl transferase . Triglycerides Introduction Mercury is a hazardous metal occurring in the environment both from natural and anthropogenic sources [1]. Mercury enters the organism mainly by inhalation and peroral and parenteral ways [2]. Humans are exposed to three forms of mercury: elemental mercury vapors, inorganic mercury com- pounds, and organomercurials [3]. All named forms of mer- cury in the environment are toxic for humans [4]. Multiple investigations indicated the relationship between inorganic and organic mercury exposure, its accumulation in the human organism, and development of neurodegenerative [5–7], au- toimmune [8–10], and renal [11–13] diseases. A growing body of data indicates the influence of mercury on incidence of cardiovascular diseases [14]. Earlier studies indicated a significant interrelationship between mercury levels in the human organism and atherosclerosis. Particularly, a signifi- cant association between hair [15] and urine [16] mercury levels and intima-media thickness exists. At the same time, a Alexey A. Tinkov and Margarita G. Skalnaya contributed equally to the current research. A. A. Tinkov : A. A. Nikonorov Department of Biochemistry, Orenburg State Medical Academy, Sovetskaya St., 6, Orenburg, Russia 460000 A. A. Tinkov (*) : A. V. Skalny Laboratory of Biotechnology and Applied Bioelementology, P. G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University, Sovetskaya St., 14, Yaroslavl, Russia 150000 e-mail: tinkov.a.a@gmail.com M. G. Skalnaya : V. A. Demidov : E. P. Serebryansky : A. V. Skalny Russian Society of Trace Elements in Medicine, ANO “Centre for Biotic Medicine”, Zemlyanoy Val St. 46, Moscow, Russia 105064 A. V. Skalny Institute of Bioelementology (Russian Satellite Centre of Trace Element - Institute for UNESCO), Orenburg State University, Pobedy Ave. 13, Orenburg, Russia 460352 Biol Trace Elem Res (2014) 161:255–262 DOI 10.1007/s12011-014-0124-3