Effects of Vitamin E and Selenium on Copper-Induced Lipid Peroxidation in Vivo and on Acute Copper Toxicity

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Abstract
Copper sulfate injected i.p. at 2 mg Cu/kg into vitamin E- and Se-deficient rats caused a 6-fold increase in the formation in vivo of the lipid peroxidation product ethane; and caused acute mortality in 4/5 rats. Se supplementation of the diet at 0.5 ppm Se prevented the increase in ethane production caused by Cu injection and reduced mortality to 1/5 rats. Vitamin E supplementation of the diet at 200 IU/kg eliminated the increase in ethane production caused by Cu injection and completely prevented mortality. Vitamin E-deficient rats injected with copper sulfate at 5 mg Cu/kg produced > 10 times the ethane produced by rats injected with NaSO4 or left uninjected. The ethylene produced by the rats injected with copper sulfate was 5% of the ethane produced and did not differ significantly from the ethylene produced by controls. Adding copper sulfate at 5 ppm Cu to a liver homogenate stimulated the production of ethane but not of ethylene. The correlation of increased production with increased mortality suggested that lipid peroxidation may be important in the increased toxicity of Cu in vitamin E- and Se-deficient rats.