title: Sex-related effects of zinc deficiency on the selenium metabolism in rats.
abstract: The effects of a low zinc status on selenium metabolism were investigated in female and male rats which were fed diets with low and adequate zinc contents and a suboptimal selenium content. For the selenium content and glutathione peroxidase activity in the liver and plasma of the female animals no differences were found between the low zinc group and the pair-fed zinc-adequate control group. In the male rats zinc depletion resulted in testis atrophy and decreased testicular contents of selenium and glutathione peroxidase. In the pair-fed and ad libitum-fed control groups the levels of hepatic selenium and glutathione peroxidase and plasma glutathione peroxidase in the males were lower than those in the females. In the low zinc group, however, they rose to the levels of the females. The results indicate that these effects of zinc deficiency on selenium metabolism are sex-specific and suggest that they are related to changes in the sex hormone status of the male animals.
authors.affiliation: Dept. Trace Elements in Health and Nutrition, Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin, Fed. Rep. of Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Behne
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kyriakopoulos
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gessner
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vormann
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Günther
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015032:Zinc / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000172:deficiency*
chemical_list: D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D012643:Selenium; D015032:Zinc