Influences of dietary vitamin E and selenium on the oxidant defense system of the chick.

The effects of dietary vitamin E and selenium on the oxidant defense system (glutathione peroxidase, catalase, glutathione reductase, reduced glutathione, and superoxide dismutase) were investigated in the chick. Two-week-old chicks were reared using a vitamin E-free, low-selenium, semipurified basal diet alone or supplemental with vitamin E (100 IU/kg) and/or selenium (.10 ppm). Whereas vitamin E sustained chick growth, survival, and protection from exudative diathesis (ED), it did not significantly affect the enzymatic components of the oxidant defense system. Dietary selenium promoted chick growth and protection against ED in the absence of vitamin E and sustained glutathione peroxidase activity in several tissues. The latter effect was associated with decreases in reduced glutathione concentrations observed in liver and blood. Catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were increased in liver and brain in selenium deficiency. Glutathione reductase activities in liver, kidney, lung, and brain were not affected by diet.