Pharmacokinetics of Selenium in Healthy Piglets After Different Routes of Administration: Application of Pharmacokinetic Data to the Risk Assessment of Selenium.

Selenium (Se) is a trace element in the environment. Although it is a necessary trace element for human and animal health, excessive Se can also pollute the environment and show toxic effects on humans and animals. Since the safe dose range of Se is narrow, it is important to study the pharmacokinetics of Se in order to make better use of the biological effects of Se. In the present study, we investigated the pharmacokinetic process of sodium selenate in healthy piglet plasma after either intramuscular injection or oral administrations, and examined dynamic changes of antioxidant system in healthy piglets after Se supplementation. The results showed that the Se reached the peak concentration of (0.2451 ± 0.0123) µg mL-1 at (0.4237 ± 0.0185) h following intramuscular injection administration and (0.1781 ± 0.0142) µg mL-1 at (2.1517 ± 0.1806) h following oral administration in the plasma. The average AUC of sodium selenite following intramuscular injection and oral administrations was (31.7260 ± 1.3574) and (75.1460 ± 3.4127) mg L-1 h-1, respectively. Total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) generally show an upward trend and malondialdehyde (MDA) shows a downward trend, regardless of intramuscular injection or oral sodium selenite. An increased concentration of Se was observed in the serum of healthy piglets after intramuscular injection and oral sodium selenite. Our results indicated that the pharmacokinetic process of sodium selenate in healthy piglet blood conforms to the two-chamber open model. Its pharmacokinetic properties are rapid absorption and slow excretion. Antioxidant systems in healthy piglets vary with Se levels, but there is a significant lag period compared with the latter. Our current findings will provide a more complete understanding of clinical rational Se supplementation and avoid contamination of the environment by overdose.

Pharmacokinetics of Sodium Selenite Administered Orally in Blood and Tissues of Selenium-Deficient Ducklings.

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for humans and animals. Appropriate amount of Se in the body can prevent a variety of diseases. However, Se deficiency leads to pathological changes such as skeletal muscle necrosis and pancreatic atrophy in livestock and poultry. Se preparations are widely used in the prevention and treatment of Se-deficient disease, but there is no unified standard of medication, and the safe dose range of Se is narrow. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the pharmacokinetics of low-Se ducklings and to formulate drug administration schemes. In the present study, eighty 1-day-old healthy ducklings were randomly selected, and fed with low-Se diet to 30 days of age (blood Se content ≦ 0.03 µg/mL). After the low Se duckling models were duplicated, blood samples and tissues of livers, pancreases, and thigh muscles were collected at different time points to detect Se content following oral administration of 0.1% sodium selenite (Na2SeO3) at 0.8 mg/kg BW, and the pharmacokinetics parameters were automatically calculated by MCPKP program. The results showed that pharmacokinetics characteristics of Na2SeO3 in blood, livers, and pancreases of ducklings were consistent with the first-order absorption and two-compartment open models; in thigh muscles was consistent with the first-order absorption and one compartment with a lag time open model. The primary kinetic parameters of Na2SeO3 in blood: the half-life of absorption was 5.9026 h, the time of reaching maximum concentration was 23.03 h, and the half-life of elimination was 131.13 h. The absorption of Na2SeO3 in livers was the quickest, pancreases and thigh muscles were in order of becoming slower, and the elimination of Na2SeO3 in thigh muscles was the quickest, livers and pancreases were in order of becoming slower. The administration parameters of multi-dose were calculated according to the kinetic of single-dose: loading dose (D*) was 1.7046 mg/kg BW, maintenance dose (D0) was 0.8 mg/kg BW, and dosing interval (τ) was 120 h. The results of this study can supplement and improve the theoretical system of Se metabolic kinetics, and provide experimental basis for the prevention and treatment of Se deficiency disease by rational drug use.

Inflammatory Response Occurs in Veins of Broiler Chickens Treated with a Selenium Deficiency Diet.

Selenium (Se) has been indicated to prevent chronic diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. However, a few studies have indicated that Se deficiency can induce vascular diseases. Thus, in the present study, we investigated the effect of Se deficiency on vascular pathology. A total of 60 male broiler chickens were randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 30). The control group (C group) was fed a basic diet, and the Se-deficient group (L group) was fed a Se-deficient, corn-soy-based diet. Changes in messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels of inflammatory factors and inflammation-related cytokines were examined by both RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Our results indicate that the mRNA and protein levels of inflammatory factors and inflammation-related cytokines in the L group were significantly changed in the vein. In addition, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to define the most important parameters that could be used as key factors. The in vitro experiments also demonstrated that Se can enhance the anti-inflammatory ability of vein endothelial cells. In conclusion, Se deficiency induces an inflammatory response by modulating inflammatory factors and inflammation-related cytokines.