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

ABSTRACT

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