VITAMIN E AND SELENIUM STATUS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE

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Date
1981-05
Authors
ELELU, MASHUD AKANBI
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Abstract
Vitamin E and selenium status of 45 healthy and 90 unhealthy human subjects were assessed. Vitamin E status was assessed as erythrocyte hemolysis (%) while selenium as erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity. The mean values for healthy control subjects were 5.4± 0.59 for erythrocyte hemolysis (%) and 3.8 x 10-± 0.34 units for glutathione peroxidase activity. There was no significant difference (P> 0.05) between these values and those for the unhealthy ones studied except for subjects with heart muscle diseases. Erythrocyte hemolysis (%) and erythrocyte activity were significantly lower (p<0.05) in subjects with heart muscle diseases compared to the controls. Erythrocyte glutathione and plasma ascorbic acid were also assessed in the subjects. In the control glutathione level was 38.± 4.03 mg per 100 ml and plasma ascorbic acid was 0.70 ± 0.14 mg per 100 ml. The values were not affected significantly by vitamin E and selenium status of the subjects as also by diseased status studied. A vitamin E deficient male subject had a mean of 18.5 and 2.76 x 10-2 units as erythrocyte hemolysis (%) and glutathione peroxidase activity respectively over a period of 5 weeks. These values dropped significantly (P< 0.05) when the subject was given oral 60 mg d x-tocopherol per day for 3 days. This indicated a metabolic interrelationship of vitamin E with selenoenzyme glutathione peroxidase. This observation needs further investigations. As reported in earlier works, glutathione peroxidase activity in the rats studied, was located more with the cytosal than the mitochondria. Complete starvation for 48 hours in the rats increased the activity of the selenoenzyme significantly by 62.5% in the cytosol without any effect on it's mitochondrial activity.
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A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirments for the Degree of: MASTER OF SCIENCE
Keywords
VITAMIN E, SELENIUM, STATUS, HEALTH, DISEASE
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