Hepatic cytosolic non selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity: its nature and the effect of selenium deficiency.

Recent work had indicated the presence of a non selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity in rat liver in addition to the selenium-dependent activity. The present study was undertaken to learn whether the glutathione S-transferases are reponsible for the non selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity and to study the effect of selenium deficiency on those enzymes. Glutathione S-transferase B was purified by an established method using carboxymethyl cellulose ion exchange chromatography and studied. It exhibited glutathione peroxidase activity toward cumene hydroperoxide and t-butyl hydroperoxide. A limiting Km of 0.55 mM was determined for cumene hydroperoxide. Sulfobromophthalein was found to be a competitive inhibitor with respect to cumene hydroperoxide of the glutathione peroxidase activity of glutathione S-transferase B. Selenium deficiency caused an increase in glutathione S-transferase activity. These results establish that glutathione S-transferase B contributes to the non selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity in rat liver and show that it increases in selenium deficiency when the selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase is decreased.