title: An investigation into the effect of selenium supplementation on microcystin hepatotoxicity.
abstract: Toxin-producing cyanobacteria pose a worldwide health threat to humans and animals due to their increasing presence in both drinking and recreational waters. Little work has, however, been done on a preventative therapy for anyone at risk of exposure to cyanobacterial toxins. The potential benefits of dietary supplementation of selenium, an antioxidant, to protect against the mouse liver injury induced by the toxin, microcystin-LR, has been investigated. BALB/c mice were pretreated for two weeks with sodium selenite (1.5 microg/mouse/day) before an intraperitoneal injection of microcystin-LR. Selenium-supplementation was found to provide some protection to the action of the toxin. In addition selenium pretreatment reduced the liver damage caused by lethal and sub-lethal toxin doses as reflected in liver pathology, decreased serum ALT and lipid peroxidation levels as well as prevention of glycogen loss compared to non-selenium supplemented toxin treated mice. The increased level of liver glutathione peroxidase activity following selenium-supplementation may indicate the possible route of selenium protection in the mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Port Elizabeth, P.O. Box 1600, Port Elizabeth 6000, South Africa. bcammg@upe.ac.za
authors.forename: Michelle M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gehringer
authors.forename: Kerry S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Downs
authors.forename: Timothy G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Downing
authors.forename: Ryno J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Naudé
authors.forename: Enid G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Shephard
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000633:toxicity; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; D000458:Cyanobacteria; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008387:Marine Toxins; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D052998:Microcystins; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000633:toxicity; D018038:Sodium Selenite / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D008387:Marine Toxins; D052998:Microcystins; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; C057862:cyanoginosin LR; D018038:Sodium Selenite