Mercury forms potent toxic compounds, which cause irreversible damage to the central nervous system, while selenium, if present in an adequate concentration, is an essential micronutrient needed for the regulation of metabolic processes. The interactions between mercury and selenium have been rigorously scrutinized particularly due to observed protective effects of selenium against mercury toxicity, however very few proposed mechanisms are supported by empirical data. With mercury concentrations steadily rising in the environment, this matter is of urgency, and pushes for the development of new sample preparation protocols and analytical techniques. Softer extraction methods should preserve the true chemical species, while a combination of chromatographic and direct analytical techniques enable identification and quantitation. This review summarizes the state of the art of current analytical techniques, which focus on the interactions between mercury and selenium in biological matrices and outlines the future trends that might fill major gaps in our analytical capabilities.

汞会形成有效的有毒化合物，对中枢神经系统造成不可逆转的损害，而硒（如果浓度足够）则是调节代谢过程所需的必需微量营养素。汞与硒之间的相互作用已受到严格审查，特别是由于观察到硒对汞毒性的保护作用，但是经验数据却很少支持所提出的机制。随着环境中汞浓度的稳步上升，这一问题迫在眉睫，并推动了新样品制备方案和分析技术的发展。较软的提取方法应保留真实的化学物种，同时结合色谱和直接分析技术可以进行鉴定和定量。这篇综述总结了当前分析技术的现状，重点关注生物基质中汞和硒之间的相互作用，并概述了可能填补我们分析能力重大空白的未来趋势。