title: The effect of dietary vitamin E level on selenium status in rats.
abstract: The effect of varying levels of dietary vitamin E on selenium status was determined using 40 Wistar rats with similar initial body weight. The rats were equally divided into four groups and fed the following dietary treatments (mg vitamin E/kg DM): 18 (control; C-diet), 0 (0E-diet), 9 (0.5E-diet) and 36 (2E-diet) for either 4-week (Phase 1) or 8-week (Phase 2) period. At the end of experiment, animals were slaughtered to measure vitamin E and selenium levels in the brain, liver, spleen, kidney, muscles and blood tissues. Dietary vitamin E levels did not affect feed and water intake and body weight. But whole-blood selenium concentration in rats fed 0E-diet was higher than in rats fed 2E-diet after 4 weeks. Selenium level in muscle, spleen and brain was also higher (p < 0.05) in rats fed the 0E-diet than in rats fed C-diet after 4 weeks of feeding. On the other hand, selenium level in the muscle was lower (p < 0.05) in rats fed 0.5E-diet than in those fed 0E-diet after 4 weeks of feeding, but not after 8 weeks of feeding. Increasing dietary vitamin E level directly influenced selenium content of the spleen and brain after 8 weeks of feeding 2E-diet. Moreover, the twofold increase in vitamin E intake resulted in a tendency to reduce whole-blood selenium level and total selenium in the liver and kidney after 4 and 8 weeks. The results showed that the increasing dietary vitamin E level resulted in a tendency to reduce Se contents in some vital organs of the body such as the liver and kidney, suggesting their close compensatory interrelationship. Therefore, dietary vitamin E level directly influenced selenium metabolism in the animal body.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University, Matsue City, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujihara
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Orden
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D007668:Kidney / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012643:Selenium / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D013154:Spleen / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E; D012643:Selenium
keywords: Se contents of organs; blood Se level; rat; selenium; vitamin E