Effect of Growth Phase on Deposition of Selenium (Se) in Tissues of Rats Fed Elevated Dietary Levels of Se as Either L-Selenomethionine or Sodium Selenate

Abstract

Epidemiologic and intervention studies investigating possible cancer chemopreventive effects of selenium (Se) have pointed out the need for accurate indicators of Se status which would monitor the large body pools of Se (Willett et al. 1983; Salonen et al. 1984; Clark and Combs 1986), namely those in the liver and skeletal muscle (Behne and Wolters 1983). It is beneficial in such studies to utilize tissues obtained noninvasively, such as hair and nails, to assess Se status (Van Noord et al. 1987; Willett 1986; Chen et al. 1980). The influence of various dietary and physiological factors on hair and nail Se levels has scarcely been investigated, however. We have previously reported that hair and nail Se content is affected by the level and chemical form of dietary Se (Salbe and Levander 1987). Here, we report on the effect of growth on Se deposition in hair, nail, and other tissues of adult and weanling rats.

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