Impaired ketone body metabolism in the selenium deficient rat. Possible implications.

Male rats were fed a selenium-deficient Torula yeast diet with or without 0.2 ppm selenium (as sodium selenite) in the drinking water. Selenium deficiency caused a significant increase of urinary acetoacetate excretion in fed rats, and 24 or 48 hours of starvation enhanced this effect. Two days of selenium supplementation decreased the amount of urinary acetoacetate and 3-hydroxybutyrate to 50% of the deficiency value, indicating an enzymatic impairment in the selenium-deficient rat. No selenium-dependent effect was found for the following: (1) urinary pH, amount of nitrite, glucose (negative), hemoglobin or protein, and the urine was negative for phenylketones; (2) blood content of glucose, acetoacetate, or 3-hydroxybutyrate; or (3) liver content of glycogen, glucose, acetoacetate, or 3-hydroxybutyrate. On the other hand, the liver content of triglycerides was significantly lower in selenium deficiency. Indications for a higher content of ketone bodies (acetoacetate plus 3-hydroxybutyrate) in the kidneys from selenium-deficient rats were found. The increased urinary excretion of ketone bodies on selenium deficiency may indicate an impairment of lipid and ketone body turnover (in the kidney), or a decreased kidney reabsorption rate. Possible implications of these results in connection with protective roles of selenium in atherosclerosis and carcinogenesis are suggested.