CORRELATIONS OF PLASMA SE AND VITAMIN-E L EVEL OF THE MARE AND HER FOAL

In metabolism vitamin E is of importance in its protective function at membranes, selenium as cofactor of glutathione-peroxidase in high-eff icient redox-systems. A lack of vitamin E and/or selenium leads to inc reased occurrence of peroxides with toxic effects in organisms. In thi s study on dams (n=12) and their foals the course of plasma concentrat ions of vitamin E and selenium, as well as their concentrations in mat ernal milk, have been investigated over several days. At times of part urition, the plasma-selenium-concentrations showed to be almost twice as high in dams as the concentrations in foal's plasma samples. Within few days the plasma levels in dams sunk and the plasma concentrations in foals increased steadily, up to a proportion of 3 to 2. In the sam e time, the plasma-vitamin E-levels in foals, which averaged approxima tely 50% of the dam's values at time of parturition, rose up to a leve l higher than the concentrations measured in dam's blood samples. In m ilk, the selenium concentrations dropped under the detection limit wit hin 12 hours, whereas the vitamin E concentration decreased slowly and continuously during the study period. Based on these results, the per oral administration of a vitamin E and selenium containing preparation for foals (Dystrofin) has been examined in a clinical study in the fo aling season 1995/96. At this point of investigation, the peroral subs titution seems to be efficient to cover an alimentary deficiency in fo als.