The effect of dietary vitamin E level on selenium status in rats. Issue 5 (6th January 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fujihara, T.; Orden, E. A.
• Is Part Of: Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition. Volume 98:Issue 5(2014)
• Page Start: 921
• Page End: 927
• Publication Date: 2014-01-06
• Subjects: Animal nutrition -- Periodicals; Feeds -- Periodicals; 636.085
• DOI: 10.1111/jpn.12159
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0931-2439

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="jpn12159-abs-0001"> <title>Summary</title> <p>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.</p> </abstract>