The Role of Selenium in Fetal Development and Animal Health

摘要

@@Selenium (Se) was first determined to be an essential trace element by Schwarz and Foltz (1957) when it was reported that Se prevented liver necrosis in rats.Subsequently,Muth et al.(1958) prevented nutritional muscular dystrophy (NMD) in lambs by supplementation of Se.Rotruck et al.(1973) reported that glutathione peroxidase contains Se,thereby establishing a specific biological function for se.Signs of a nutritional Se deficiency include NMD,reduced litter size and lambing rate,liver necrosis,lowered ratios of T3 to T4,reduced serum immunoglobulins,and increased incidences of retained fetal membranes and mastitis. Assessment of nutritional Se status in animals is generally performed by measuring blood glutathione peroxidase (GPX1) activity or Se concentration. Although skeletal muscle contains most of the Se in the body,mammalian liver is considered the main storage tissue because it contains the greatest concentration of Se compared to other organs.