DIETARY SELENIUM-INDUCED AND VITAMIN-E-INDUCED ALTERATIONS IN SOME RABBIT-TISSUES

The present study was designed to investigate and compare the effects of dietary selenium (Se) and vitamin E on some physiological parameter s and histological changes in liver, heart, and skin tissues, as well as the blood parameters and the related enzymes. Both sex young rabbit s were fed with deficient (9.8 mu g/kg diet), adequate (225 mu g/kg di et), and rich (4.2 mg/kg diet) Se and vitamin E diets for 12-15 wk for this purpose As the plasma Se levels and the erythrocyte glutathione (GSH) peroxidase activity decreased (79.8 +/- 9.4 ng/mL and 2.0 +/- 0. 3 U/g Hb, respectively) in the deficient group, these values increased (100.4 +/- 2.7 ng/mL and 14.5 +/- 4.3 U/g Hb) in the rich group signi ficantly with respect to the control group. The other antioxidant enzy me activities and the related element levels did not change significan tly in either one of the experimental groups. Although the platelet co unts of the two experimental groups were not different from the contro l values, the collagen and the adenosine diphosphate (ADP) stimulated platelet aggregation rate and intensity increased in the deficient gro up (p < 0.05) and decreased very significantly (p < 0.001) in the rich group. In both of the experimental groups, as the percentage values o f the neutrophils decreased, the lymphocytes and the eosinophils incre ased significantly. According to the light microscopic investigations, the observed lesions of considerable intensity within the tissues tha t elicit cell degenerations were more pronounced in the animals fed wi th the rich diet than in those fed with the deficient diet. The defici ency as well as toxicity of Se and the deficiency of vitamin E caused several alterations in the physiological functions of the tissues, and these alterations were supported by the histological lesions within t hese tissues.