THE EFFECT OF SELENIUM AND VITAMIN-E ON MICROVASCULAR PERMEABILITY OFRAT ORGANS

The effects of dietary sodium selenite and vitamin E on the microvascu lar permeability of rat organs such as heart, brain, kidney, liver and eye were investigated by using the Evans blue leakage method. Combine d deficiency of selenium and vitamin E caused an increase in the perme ability of the heart and eye with respect to their controls while it h ad no considerable effect on the permeability of other organs. On the other hand, toxic levels of selenium (4.2 mg/kg) in diet decreased the permeabilities in kidney, liver, and eye whereas this parameter of br ain increased in the same animal group. These results suggested that l ow or high sodium selenite and vitamin E contents in diet could alter the microvascular permeability of different organs in different manner s. It might be important to give reasonable explanations for the patho physiology of some diseases that are characterized with organ damage a nd/or disfunction originated from selenium deficiency or toxicity.