Human metabolism and renal excretion of selenium compounds after oral ingestion of sodium selenate dependent on trimethylselenium ion (TMSe) status.

An in vivo metabolism study in humans was carried out to investigate the toxicokinetics and metabolism of sodium selenate differentiating by the trimethylselenium (TMSe) status. Therefore, the changes in blood plasma concentration and the urinary excretion within 24 h of seven healthy subjects after oral administration of a dietary supplement containing sodium selenate (50 µg selenium) were analyzed. Three subjects belong to the subgroup of TMSe eliminators, and four subjects were related to the non-TMSe eliminators subgroup. The concentrations of total selenium in blood plasma and urine samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Additionally, speciation analysis of urine samples was performed using ICP-MS coupled to a liquid chromatography system. Plasma selenium concentration changed from 82.5 ± 12.5 µg Se/L before to 85.1 ± 12.0 µg Se/L 2-3 h after supplementation. Considering the individual 24-hour background amounts of renal excreted selenium, the ingestion caused an additional excretion of 15.4 ± 3.3 µg Se/24 h (≙31.1 ± 7.6 % of the administered dose) with a maximum elimination already 2 h after exposure. The differentiated analysis revealed that in all subjects, the main elimination product (30.1 ± 6.9 % of the administered dose) was unmetabolized selenate. TMSe was only detected in the urine of the TMSe eliminators. This subgroup excreted in comparison with the non-TMSe eliminators a significantly lower amount of selenate. Only one subject metabolized selenate to a larger portion to methyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-1-seleno-ß-D-galactopyranoside (SeSug1) and methyl-2-amino-2-deoxy-1-seleno-ß-D-galactopyranoside (SeSug3). All other subjects showed only a minor metabolism of selenate to selenium-containing carbohydrates. By individuals, which do not excrete TMSe in urine basically, selenate is metabolized only marginally and is excreted rapidly via urine generally. In contrast, a considerable portion of this inorganic selenium compound is metabolized by individuals, which eliminate TMSe basically. An elevated metabolism may also be provided by individuals, which eliminate high levels of selenium-containing carbohydrates basically. The difference in metabolism may imply a different disposition for pharmacological or toxic effects by exposure to inorganic selenium compounds.