Brain selenium status and behavioral development in selenium-deficient preweanling mice.
The influence of Se deficiency on behavioral development in preweanling mice was evaluated. Female ICR mice were fed either Se-deficient or control diet (containing < 20 or 400 ng Se/g diet, respectively) from 4 weeks before conception to the end of the suckling period. In the offspring of Se-deficient dams, liver and brain Se levels were reduced to < 5% and 60% of those in the control offspring, respectively, from as early as the third postnatal day. At weaning, brain Se content exceeded the hepatic one in Se-deficient offspring, whereas in the control offspring the liver contained 10 times more Se than the brain did. Thus, tissue-specific metabolism of Se was already functioning during the neonatal period. When placed in a thermogradient and allowed to move along the gradient, Se-deficient offspring exhibited a preference for a significantly warmer environment than did the controls. They also showed slightly retarded development of walking ability. These results showed that Se-deficient offspring differed from the controls in behavioral development. Possible mechanisms of these alterations are discussed.
Watanabe
C
C
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
Satoh
H
H
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology; D012643:Selenium / Q000502:physiology*; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D013963:Thyroid Hormones; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D012643:Selenium