Comparative effects of selenium and vitamin E in lead-poisoned rats.
Weanling male rats were fed a Torula yeast diet supplemented with selenium, vitamin E, or both for 3 months. Of rats fed each diet, one group received 250 ppm lead in the drinking water and another group did not. In rats not poisoned with lead, neither vitamin E nor selenium deficiency affected spleen weight, hematocrit value, or erythrocyte mechanical fragility. Vitamin E deficiency increased the splenomegaly, anemia, and mechanical fragility of red cells of lead-poisoned rats, whereas selenium deficiency did not. Addition of 0.5 ppm selenium to the vitamin E-supplemented diet increased slightly the splenomegaly and anemia in lead-poisoned rats. Excess levels of selenium (2.5 and 5 ppm) in the vitamin E-deficient diet had little or no effect on spleen size or hematocrit of rats not receiving lead, but partially prevented the splenomegaly and anemia of red cells from either non-poisoned or lead-oisoned vitamin E-deficient rats, but not as effectively as vitamin E. These results show that vitamin E status of rats is more important that selenium status in determining response to toxic levels of lead. Excess dietary selenium did protect partially against lead poisoning in vitamin E-deficient rats, but the levels of selenium used were toxic in themselves.
D000743:Anemia, Hemolytic / Q000517:prevention & control; D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D007854:Lead / Q000633:toxicity; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D012643:Selenium / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000633:toxicity; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects; D014811:Vitamin E Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*
D007854:Lead; D012643:Selenium