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

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially supported by the National Council of Research and Technology (Connacht), Mexico (48787-M).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UBIMED, Facultad de Estudios Superiores-Iztacala, UNAM, Av. De los Barrios 1, Los Reyes Iztacala, Tlalnepantla, Estado de México, 54090, Mexico

    Miriam Rodríguez-Sosa

  2. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Veracruzana, Prolongación de Oriente 6 No.1009, Orizaba, Veracruz, 94340, Mexico

    Eliud A. García-Montalvo

  3. Departamento de Toxicología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Av. IPN 2508, San Pedro Zacatenco, México D. F., 07360, Mexico

    Luz María Del Razo & Libia Vega

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  1. Miriam Rodríguez-Sosa
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  2. Eliud A. García-Montalvo
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  3. Luz María Del Razo
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  4. Libia Vega
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Correspondence to Libia Vega.

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Rodríguez-Sosa, M., García-Montalvo, E.A., Del Razo, L.M. et al. Effect of Selenomethionine Supplementation in Food on the Excretion and Toxicity of Arsenic Exposure in Female Mice. Biol Trace Elem Res 156, 279–287 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-013-9855-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-013-9855-9

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