T. Hasegawa et al., DISTRIBUTION AND CHEMICAL FORM OF SELENIUM IN MICE AFTER ADMINISTRATION OF SELENOCYSTINE, Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin, 17(9), 1994, pp. 1215-1219
To elucidate the relationship between chemical forms of selenium in ti
ssues and subacute liver damage induced by selenocystine (T. Hasegawa
et al., Arch. Toxicol., 68, 91 (1991)), the distribution and chemical
form of selenium were investigated in ICR male mice treated with the c
hemical orally (50 mg/kg) and intravenously (5 mg/kg). The time-distri
bution of selenium in plasma, erythrocytes and liver after separate ad
ministration varied. However, Sephadex G-150 chromatograms of plasma,
and stroma-free hemolysate from mice treated orally or intravenously w
ith selenocystine, revealed that selenium exists mainly in the albumin
and hemoglobin fractions, respectively, and is neither route- or time
-dependent. Sephadex G-150 chromatograms of liver cytosol of the anima
ls 1 h after oral administration or 1 and 6 h after intravenous admini
stration showed two selenium-containing fractions, void volume and a l
ow-molecular fraction (K-av = 0.85); 6 h after oral treatment, however
, animals had an additional high-molecular fraction (K-av = 0.45). Lev
els of acid-volatile selenium and dialyzable seleniun in the fraction
with a K-av value of 0.45 were similar, being 31.2% and 30.3%, respect
ively. No acid-volatile selenium was recognized in the non-dialyzable
high-molecular fraction. The present study demonstrated that when sele
nocystine is administered orally to mice, the selenium which produces
acid-volatile selenium by acidification mag bind to protein sulfhydryl
groups in the liver cytosol; this was not seen in the case of intrave
nous administration.