Effect of selenium deficiency on tissue taurine concentration and urinary taurine excretion in the rat

✍ Scribed by Jian Hua Piao; Kristina E. Hill; Robert W. Hunt Jr.; Raymond F. Burk

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 519 KB
• Volume: 1
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0955-2863
• DOI: 10.1016/0955-2863(90)90118-5

✦ Synopsis

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of selenium deficiency on tissue taurine levels and urinary taurine excretion. Weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed selenium-deficient or selenium-adequate diets for 20 weeks. As selenium deficiency developed, urinary taurine excretion increased in selenium-deficient rats compared to controls. At 12 weeks, the selenium-deficient rats excreted 1.7-fold more taurine than control rats. At the same time plasma glutathione peroxidase was 1.2% of control and plasma glutathione was 226% of control. At 20 weeks, renal taurine was decreased but renal glutathione was increased in selenium-deficient rats compared to controls. Feeding the experimental diet for 6 weeks without methionine supplementation caused a fall in urinary taurine excretion. However, there was no difference between selenium-deficient and control rats. These results indicate that selenium deficiency affects renal handling of taurine in the rat when dietary, sulfur amino acids are not restricted.