Impact of Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin on Mercury Absorption Using an in Vitro Digestion with Human Intestinal Cell Model

The effects of sodium copper chlorophyllin (SCC) on bioaccessibility and uptake of mercury from fish were investigated using an in vitro digestion coupled with a Caco-2 cell. Fish along with SCC was subjected to a simulated in vitro digestion, which simulates both the gastric and small intestinal phase in vivo. Mercury bioaccessibility, the amount of mercury released from fish to aqueous phase following a digestion, was measured. Various amounts of SCC (0.1-25 mg) significantly reduced mercury bioaccessibility in a dose dependent manner by 49-89% compared to the negative control (fish without SCC) (p<0.05). Mercury bioaccessibility in varying molar ratios of mercury to positive control, 2,3-dimercapto-1-propane sulfonate (DMPS) was between 24 and 52%. Mercury uptake by Caco-2 cells from test media containing aqueous phase following in vitro digestion was measured after 6 hr incubation at $37^{\circ}C$. Cellular mercury uptake with increasing amount of SCC ranged from 0.352 to $0.052\;{\mu}g$ mercury/mg protein, while those in DMPS treatment were between 0.14 and $0.27\;{\mu}g$ mercury/mg protein. Our study suggests that SCC can reduce mercury absorption following fish consumption and may be efficient as a synthetic chelating agent for long term chronic mercury exposure in fish eating populations.