Interaction between supplemented selenium and/or vitamin e and mn, zn, fe, and cu in schistosoma infected mice

Trace elements [Mn, Zn and Cu] were determined in livers and kidneys of normal mice supplemented with selenium [Se] and/or vitamin E and in mice with the same supplementation, but parasitized six weeks after receiving Se and/or vitamin E with Schistosoma mansoni cercaria. No great variation in the concentration of the four elements [due to the previous supplementation] was detected in liver and kidney tissue, except for kidney Mn in all cases; whereas, Schistosoma infection induced a marked decrease in liver Mn content [0.05 +/- 0.01 mug/g tissue vs. 1.95 +/- 0.18 mug/g tissue in non-infected control group]. Se with or without vitamin E improved this decrease in liver manganese. On the other hand, liver iron showed a marked increase due to infection [288.8 +/- 20.1 mug/g tissue vs. 170.1 +/- 21.5 mug/g tissue in non-infected control group]. Also, Se with or without vitamin E normalized this value. Liver zinc was moderately increased due to different supplementations and the same effect was found due to infection [27.3 +/- 2.4 mug/g tissue vs. 32.4 +/- 3.2 mug/g tissue]. Liver Cu showed a normal range either due to various supplementations or due to infection. Kidney elements showed similar variation as in livers, except that the change in manganese content was greater either due to supplementations or due to infection. The results concluded that selenium may improve the deviations in some element contents in infected animals from the normal level

Some aspects of nitrogen metabolism in biomphalaria Alexandrina snails treated with selenium

The toxicity of selenium on Biomphalaria alexandrina snails, the intermediate host for Schistosoma mansoni, was traced by studying its effect on the protein profile, free amino acids [FAA] and some urea cycle enzymes; namely, ornithine aminotransferase, argininosuccinate synthetase and arginase in hepatopancreas of snails. The results revealed that treatment with 15 ppm selenium dioxide [SeO2] caused an elevation in the protein content and a variation in the percentage and number of the different polypeptides as obtained by gel electrophoresis and a remarkable reduction in all FAA, except arginine alanine and threonine. On the other hand, the activity of ornithine aminotransferase was elevated, whereas that of arginase was reduced. The study was a trial to focus on some metabolic disorders caused by SeO2 on the physiological status of these intermediate host snails, which may greatly control parasite-host association. Thus, the life cycle of the parasite within its respective host may be disturbed