Relationship Between Selenium and Selected Heavy Metals Concentration in Serum of Cattle from a Non-Polluted Area

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the concentration of selenium and selected heavy metals and their possible relationship in serum of 25 healthy lactating cows (Montbéliarde) reared in a non-polluted area, in the western part of Poland. Cadmium, lead, copper, and zinc concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry and Se concentration was determined fluorimetrically. The content of Se, Zn, and Cu was 0.083 ± 0.026, 0.629 ± 0.413, and 0.152 ± 0.042 μg/mL, respectively. The presence of the Cd and Pb was found in all serum samples. The mean concentration of these metals was 0.0009 ± 0.0008 and 0.018 ± 0.016 μg/mL, respectively. Analysis of correlations between Se and toxic metals showed a negative and significant (P < 0.05) relationship between selenium concentration and lead and cadmium concentration in the serum of the animals studied, with correlation coefficients of r = -0.595 and r = -0.618, respectively. For copper and zinc, this relationship was also negative but not significant (r = -0.255 and r = -0.203). Our study demonstrated that the level of toxic metals decreased as serum selenium concentration increased. It seems necessary to conduct further research on the interactions between these elements in blood, serum, and target organs concomitantly with the determination of their intake.

Effect of selenium-enriched defatted rape seeds on tissue cadmium and essential elements utilization in rats

“…No Se-induced changes were observed for blood levels of Cu and Zn, the other elements involved in antioxidative processes. Similar observations were reported by Tomza-Marciniak et al (2011) for the blood of cattle. The authors reported an insignificant decrease in the mentioned elements only.…”

“…Under Cd stress, lower Cd accumulation was found in the livers of the Sedeficient rats compared to those with normal Se intake (Kotyzova et al 2010); these interactions will need more detailed investigations. The decreasing trend of Cd concentrations in blood serum that followed the increasing Se serum concentrations was reported by Tomza-Marciniak et al (2011) for cattle living in the unpolluted area. On the contrary, decreasing Se levels in chicken tissues when animals were exposed to the diet with extremely high (100 mg/kg) levels of Cd were reported (AlWaeli et al 2012).…”

Concentrations of toxic heavy metals and trace elements in raw milk of Simmental and Holstein-Friesian cows from organic farm

“…The available literature describes relationships between different elements, principally in the liver, kidneys, and muscles of animals (López Alonso et al 2002, 2004; Blanco-Penedo et al 2006), in the limited number in blood or serum (López Alonso et al 2002). The largest number of significant correlations between toxic and essential elements is found in the kidneys followed by liver (Tomza-Marciniak et al 2011), which according to Lopez Alonso et al (2004) is a reflection that these organs play the main role in trace element metabolism.…”

“…Another way of eliminating metals from metabolism is through the formation of neutral complexes (e.g., Se–Cd and Se–Pb) by selenium, which are then bound by proteins similar to metallothionein. This is possible because of the high affinity of selenium for these elements (Nehru and Iyer 1994; Tomza-Marciniak et al 2011). The interaction between Zn and Cu has been extensively reported (Blanco-Penedo et al 2006; Bremner and Beattie 1995) and is a consequence of the ability of these metals to induce synthesis of metallothioneins and of their competition for metallothionein-binding sites.…”

Essential and toxic elements concentrations in animal tissues of sheep from two different regions of Slovakia

“…The concentrations of different essential and toxic elements in livestock are interest from both human and animal health (Suttle, 2010;McLachlan et al, 2016). Exposure of farm animals to high concentrations of toxic metals such as lead (Pb), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and nickel (Ni), or less than optimal concentrations of the essential elements, such as calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg) or selenium (Se) can adversely affect the productivity of animals (Suttle, 2010). Meat from sheep can form an important part of the human diet.…”