Effect of lifelong selenium and vitamin E deficiency or supplementation on pigment accumulation in rat peripheral tissues.

The accumulation of lipopigments during aging in several peripheral organs and in the nervous system is considered to be related to the peroxidation of unsaturated fatty acids. In this study the effect of lifelong (until to 18 months) dietary antioxidants selenium and vitamin-E on pigment accumulation in some peripheral tissues was estimated using fluorescence and electron microscopy. In the vitamin E deficiency group, there was increased pigment accumulation in all peripheral tissues studied except the hypogastric ganglion, where no change was observed. The vitamin E supplementation degreased the pigment accumulation in older animals in some of the tissues studied. At the electron microscopical level the accumulated pigment in the adrenal cortex showed a lipofuscin-like structure. Lifelong selenium supplementation or deficiency did not significantly alter pigment accumulation in any of the tissues studied. It is possible that in many organs dietary selenium may not play a critical role in lipofuscin formation.