DISTRIBUTION OF SELENIUM-DEPENDENT AND NON-SELENIUM-DEPENDENT GLUTATHIONE-PEROXIDASE ACTIVITY IN TISSUES OF YOUNG CATTLE

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 42  (10) , 1724-1729
Abstract
Separation by gel-filtration chromatography and enzyme assay with H2O2 and an organic hydroperoxide substrate were used to identify Se-dependent and non-Se-dependent glutathione peroxidae (GSH-Px) in tissues of calves fed supplemented whole milk diets differing only in their Se content (0.03, 0.23 and 0.53 .mu.g/g of total solids). Spleen, cardiac muscle, erythrocytes, brain, thymus, adipose tissue and striated muscles of calves contained only the Se-dependent GSH-Px. Tissues having both enzymes included liver, lungs, adrenal glands, testes, kidney medulla and kidney cortex. Hepatic tissue contained the highest percentage of non-Se-dependent GSH-dependent GSH-Px activity of the calf tissues. For those tissues having Se-dependent and non-Se-dependent GSH-Px activity, the Se-dependent enzyme activity was generally lower for calves fed 0.03 .mu.g of Se/g of total solids than activity in calves fed larger amounts of Se. The tissue ranking of non-Se-dependent GSH-Px activity, as a percentage of total GSH-Px activity, was not changed by differences in the Se content of the diets fed to the calves.