Selenium deficiency does not promote acute hepatitis in Long-Evans cinnamon (LEC) rats

To investigate the role of selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the development of hereditary hepatitis, we compared incidences and grades of acute hepatitis between the Long-Evans cinnamon (LEC) rats fed with selenium-supplemented diet and selenium-deficient diet. Immunoblot analysis revealed that the GSH-Px in erythrocytes from LEC rats fed with selenium-deficient diet was extremely low compared to that from those fed with selenium-supplemented diet. At the age of 28 weeks, the incidence of hepatitis and its lethality in the rats fed with selenium-supplemented diet were 85% and 46%, respectively, whereas those in the rats fed with selenium-deficient diet were 47% and 12%, respectively. These results suggest that selenium-deficient status and resultant GSH-Px deficiency does not promote hepatitis but rather has an inhibitory effect on the development of hepatitis in LEC rats.