THE EFFECT OF SELENIUM DEFICIENCY ON THE FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION OF VARIOUS TISSUES AND THE OSMOTIC FRAGILITY OF ERYTHROCYTES IN THE GROWINGPIG

The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of sele nium deficiency on fatty-acid composition of various tissues and on os motic fragility of erythrocytes in the growing pig. Two groups of pigs (12 each) were fed either basal rations poor in selenium (19 mu g/kg selenium, selenium-deficient group) or the same rations supplemented w ith sodium selenit (250 mu g/kg selenium, control group) over a period of 14 weeks. In order to get a broad picture of the influence of sele nium deficiency in growing pigs, some other parameters apart from the above parameters were determined: concentrations of selenium in liver, muscle and serum; concentrations of total lipids and cholesterol in t hose tissues; activity of glutathione peroxidase in plasma; clinical c hemical parameters and concentrations of lipids in serum; hematologica l parameters; characteristics of carcass and meat quality. Selenium-de ficient pigs had a significant: lower daily food intake and a signific antly lower daily weight gain than control pigs, whereas, food convers ion was identical within both groups. Selenium concentrations in liver , muscle and serum, as well as activity of glutathione peroxidase in s erum, was significantly lower in selenium-deficient pigs. Selenium-def icient pigs had higher levels of total and (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids in liver neutral lipids and lower levels of total saturated fat ty acids in muscle total lipids than control pigs, whereas the farcy-a cid composition of serum, erythrocytes and back fat was not changed by selenium deficiency. Concentration of phospholipids in serum was sign ificantly lowered by selenium deficiency; concentration of cholesterol In serum was tendentially lowered by selenium deficiency. By contrast , osmotic fragility, hematological parameters, clinical chemical param eters and characteristics of carcass and meat quality were nor influen ced by selenium deficiency.