Marked individual variability in the levels of trimethylselenonium ion in human urine determined by HPLC/ICPMS and HPLC/vapor generation/ICPMS.
Selenium species were determined using HPLC/ICPMS and HPLC/vapor generation/ICPMS in the urine from seven human volunteers investigated at background selenium concentrations and at slightly elevated concentrations after ingestion of 200 microg Se as a selenite supplement. Trimethylselenonium ion (TMSe) was present, together with selenosugars, in the urine samples, a result that dispels recent doubts about its possible previous misidentification with a cationic selenosugar. Although TMSe was present as only a trace metabolite in urine from five of the seven volunteers (0.02-0.28 microg Se/L, equivalent to 1-5% of the sum of selenosugars and TMSe), it was a significant metabolite (up to 4.6 microg Se/L, 22%) in one volunteer, and it was the major identified metabolite (up to 15 microg Se/L, 53%) in another volunteer. This marked individual variability in the formation of TMSe was maintained in a duplicate investigation of urine from the same seven volunteers.
Kuehnelt
Doris
D
Division of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Karl-Franzens University Graz, Universitätsplatz 1, 8010, Graz, Austria. doris.kuehnelt@uni-graz.at
Juresa
Dijana
D
Kienzl
Norbert
N
Francesconi
Kevin A
KA
D000328:Adult; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007477:Ions / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015394:Molecular Structure; D012643:Selenium / Q000652:urine; D018036:Selenium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000652:urine*; D014835:Volatilization
D007477:Ions; D018036:Selenium Compounds; D012643:Selenium; C003717:trimethylselenonium