Effects of selenium and β-carotene combined on growth process and antioxidant capacity of rats / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

ABSTRACT

Objective: To study the effects of selenium and β-carotene alone or in combination on the growth process and antioxidant capacity of rats so as to provide basic data for the joint application of the two in early prevention and treatment of chronic diseases caused by oxidative damage. Methods:Rats aged 7 weeks were randomly divided into four groups Se group [sodium selenite 0.3 mg/(kg•d)], β-C group [β-carotene 10 mg/(kg•d)], Se+β-C group [sodium selenite 0.3 mg/(kg•d) +β-carotene 10 mg/(kg•d)]. The rats were intragastrically administered for 4 weeks, and those in the control group were intragastrically administered with the same volume of normal saline and corn oil. The rats were weighed every two days. Four weeks later, the changes of ALT and AST in the serum were detected by the automatic biochemical analyzer; the indexes of oxidation (MDA) and antioxidants (SOD, CAT and GSH) in the serum or liver tissue were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The activities of T-SOD and GSH-Px, the content of MDA in the serum of rats did not significantly differ between the experimental group and the control group (P>0.05). β-C significantly enhanced the activities of T-SOD and GSH-Px in rat liver tissue (P<0.05). Conclusion: Selenium and β-caroten alone or in combination have no harmful effect on the normal growth process of rats. The latter improves the anti-oxidative ability of rat liver tissue, and it has certain positive effects on the early prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.