SELENIUM AND GLUTATHIONE-PEROXIDASE ACTIVITY IN HUNGARIAN CHILDREN

Selenium (Se) in plasma, whole blood and erythrocytes as well as gluta thione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in plasma and erythrocytes were in vestigated in 161 healthy Hungarian children aged 1-15 years. Se was d etermined by AAS with hydride generation. The estimation of GSH-Px act ivity was performed in plasma with tert-butyl-hydroperoxide (t-BOOH) a nd in erythrocytes with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as acceptor substrate s. The Se content in plasma (0.63 +/- 0.12 mu mol/L), whole blood (0.8 1 +/- 0.14 mu mol/L) and erythrocytes (1.14 +/- 0.26 mu mol/L, the GSH -Px activity in plasma (87 +/- 19 U/L) and erythrocytes (5.93 +/- 1.04 U/gHb) was low in Hungarian children in comparison to values for chil dren from other European countries. Samples from a rural area in south east Hungary showed even lower Se content than samples from an industr ial city in the northwest or from the capital. The Se in plasma and wh ole blood as well as GSH-Px activity in the plasma exhibited a clear a ge dependency. There was a good correlation between plasma Se and GSH- Px activity in all children (t=0.633, p<0.001). In addition, in childr en from the northwestern city and from the capital a correlation was f ound between Se content and GSH-Px activity of erythrocytes (r=0.625, p<0.001). There is no indication that the high mortality in young Hung arian adults from cardiovascular diseases is mainly caused by a low Se supply because there are no corresponding findings in the surrounding countries of southeastern or central eastern Europe with similar low Se states.