| Abstract: | The antioxidative effect of selenium cannot be exclusively due to the functioning of the selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase mechanism of utilization of various hydroperoxides. This hypothesis is based on the following experimental evidence. Selenium ions are readily incorporated into animal organs and tissues immediately after injection (2 hours) as well as into cell organelles and cytosol where they inhibit lipid peroxidation. The activity of glutathione peroxidase (EC 1.1.1.19) in rat liver and guinea pig cytosol is thereby unchanged but increases drastically after 12 hours reaching a maximum an the 3rd-4th day. The effectiveness of lipid peroxidation inhibition does not increase under these conditions. Although the glutathione peroxidase activity is absent in the nuclei and microsomes, exogenous selenium inhibits lipid peroxidation in these organelles. The activity of the rat liver cytosolic enzyme markedly exceeds that of its guinea pig counterpart. However, lipid peroxidation in guinea pig liver occurs less intensively than that in rat liver cytosol. |
