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Comparison of different forms of selenium as in vitro and in vivo lipid antioxidants in an animal model of atherosclerosis
Author(s) -
Vinson Joe,
Connolly Sean,
Stella Jennifer,
Flanagan Thomas
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.20.5.a1070-b
Subject(s) - selenium , ebselen , chemistry , glutathione peroxidase , in vivo , cholesterol , medicine , endocrinology , very low density lipoprotein , hamster , lipoprotein , biochemistry , antioxidant , superoxide dismutase , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , organic chemistry
Selenium is an essential trace element that is an integral part of > 25 proteins. There is considerable evidence that a deficiency of selenium increases the risk of heart disease. Using an in vitro oxidation of lower density lipoproteins as a model of heart disease, order of inhibition measured as the concentration to inhibit the oxidation is the following: ebselen (a synthetic glutathione peroxidase mimetic) > selenium yeast >> selenomethionine >> selenite. A hamster model of atherosclerosis was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the three forms of selenium. The basal hamster chow contained 0.64 mg/kg selenium (selenium‐sufficient). It was supplemented with 1 and 5 mg/kg selenium. Atherosclerosis was induced by adding 10% coconut oil/0.2% cholesterol to the diet for the control, placebo yeast, and selenium groups. After 11 weeks of feeding the animals were sacrificed after an overnight fast and plasma and aorta collected for analysis. There was no effect of selenium on plasma cholesterol except in the high dose selenite group where cholesterol was significantly decreased. Low dose ebselen and selenite significantly decreased triglycerides. All forms of selenium significantly decreased plasma lipid peroxides. There was a dose‐response inhibition of LDL+VLDL oxidation for all the forms of selenium. All forms of selenium inhibited atherosclerosis as measured by foam cell coverage of the arterial surface. There was a significant correlation between the inhibition of lower density lipoprotein oxidation and the extent of atherosclerosis. These results suggest selenium supplementation might be beneficial for humans to decrease the risk of heart disease.