Effect of gold on selenium and glutathione peroxidase activities in rat tissues.

Gold (Au) thioglucose, used to treat inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, inhibits the selenium (Se)-dependent glutathione peroxidase. The present study examines the ability of Au to act either as a Se antagonist or as a GSH peroxidase inhibitor in vivo. The effects of gold thioglucose loading on Se distribution, and on Se-dependent GSH peroxidase and GSH S-transferase, were examined in rats fed three dietary levels of Se (0, 0.2, and 2.0 ppm), and with or without adjuvant-induced inflammation. Kidney, liver, spleen, testes, and erythrocytes were selected for study based upon their high Se content and their ability to concentrate Au. Au loading increased kidney, liver, and spleen Se concentrations, and this effect was dependent upon dietary Se levels. Rats fed Se-supplemented diets had higher levels of Au in kidney, liver, and spleens than did rats fed a Se-deficient diet. Au loading decreased GSH peroxidase activity in kidney, liver, and erythrocytes. The decrease in GSH peroxidase in kidney and liver, and the increase in Se concentration in these tissues, suggest that Au-Se complexes may have limited the biosynthesis of the enzyme. Au affects Se distribution, and Se concentrates Au in tissues with a high lysosomal content.