Effect of selenium on serum, hepatic and lipoprotein lipids concentration in rats fed on a high-cholesterol diet

The effects of Selenium (Se) on lipid metabolism was studied in male Wistar rats which were fed a high-cholesterol diet (HCD) containing 1% (w/w) chol esterol and 0.5% (w/w) cholic acid for 10 weeks. Se was orally administered at daily doses of 0.173 mg/kg in HCD into the test rats for 10 weeks. As c ompared with control groups, Se/HCD suppressed the amounts of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (CH) and free fatty acid in the serum. Se/HCD also decreased the amounts of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in the serum. Further-more, Se/HCD inhibited the amount of liver TG and CH. The a ctivity of fatty acid synthetase in the HCD fed group was higher than in th e Se/HCD fed group. These results suggest that Se may have recuperative eff ects for hypercholesterolemia.