Effect of Selenomethionine Supplementation in Food on the Excretion and Toxicity of Arsenic Exposure in Female Mice

• Published in: Biological trace element research Vol. 156; no. 1-3; pp. 279 - 287
• Main Authors: Rodríguez-Sosa, Miriam, García-Montalvo, Eliud A, Del Razo, Luz María, Vega, Libia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer-Verlag 01.12.2013; Springer US; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: animal models; Animals; Arsenic; Arsenic - toxicity; Arsenic content; Arsenites - toxicity; biochemical pathways; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedical research; Biotechnology; Carcinogens - toxicity; Cytokines; Dietary Supplements; Drinking water; Enzyme Inhibitors - toxicity; Excretion; Exposure; Female; genotoxicity; glutathione; Glutathione - metabolism; glutathione peroxidase; Humans; Immune response; immunotoxicity; in vitro studies; interferon-gamma; interleukin-12; Interleukin-12 - metabolism; interleukin-4; Interleukin-4 - metabolism; Life Sciences; liver; Liver - metabolism; Liver - pathology; Lymphocytes; Mice; Nutrition; Oncology; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; proteins; secretion; Selenium; selenomethionine; Selenomethionine - pharmacology; Selenomethionine - urine; Sodium arsenite; Sodium Compounds - toxicity; spleen; Spleen - metabolism; Spleen - pathology; splenocytes; Studies; urine; Mexico; Oxidative stress; Cytokines; Immunomodulation; Proliferative responses; Glutathione
• ISSN: 0163-4984; 1559-0720
• DOI: 10.1007/s12011-013-9855-9

Selenium (Se) is an essential component of several major metabolic pathways and controls immune function. Arsenic (As) is a human carcinogen with immunotoxic and genotoxic activities, functioning mainly by producing oxidative stress. Due to the ability of Se to interact with As and to possibly block its toxic effects, we investigated the impact of dietary Se-methionine (Se-Met) supplementation on the toxicity of As exposure in vivo in a mouse model. Sufficient and excess levels of Se-Met (0.2 and 2 ppm, respectively) were fed to C57BL/6N female mice exposed to sodium arsenite (3, 6 and 10 mg/kg) in tap water for 9 days. We observed that As exposure increased Se-Met excretion in the urine. Se-Met supplementation increased the relative liver weight and decreased the concentration of total liver proteins in animals exposed to 10 mg/kg of As. Se-Met supplementation maintained a normal pool of glutathione in the liver and increased glutathione peroxidase concentration, although the lipoperoxidation level was increased by Se-Met even without As exposure. Se-Met supplementation helped to maintain the CD4/CD8 ratio of lymphocytes in the spleen, although it increased the proportion of B cells. Se-Met supplementation prior to As exposure increased the secretion of interleukin-4, IL-12 and interferon-γ and the stimulation index of the spleen cells in in vitro assays. Se-Met intake improved the basal immunological parameters but did not reduce the damage caused by oxidative stress after low-dose As exposure.