Tissue selenium accretion in premature and full-term human infants and children

Abstract

Development of supplementation guidelines for formulated diets and total parenteral nutrition requires knowledge of Se tissue accretion. To this end, the total organ Se content was calculated from the Se concentrations that were measured by neutron activation analysis in postmortem samples of liver (n=56), kidney (n=11), adrenal cortex (n=9), and pancreas (n=6) from infants and children from birth to 10 yr including 17 born prematurely. Hepatic Se concentrations were similar in full-term and premature newborns, decreased from birth to 1 yr, and then increased thereafter. The total hepatic Se content was significantly greater in full-term than in preterm newborns and increased with age and liver size after 1 yr. No significant differences were found between the concentrations of Se in kidney, pancreas, and adrenal tissues. Falling hepatic Se concentrations in the full-term infant concurrent with stable total organ Se content may indicate inadequate dietary intake or may reflect a normal redistribution of the nutrient. Premature infants are born with smaller stores than full-term infants and are at greater risk of developing a deficiency.

Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for selenium

“…During pregnancy, selenium progressively accumulates in the organs of the growing fetus (Bayliss et al, 1985;Zachara et al, 2001b). Fetal hepatic selenium concentration appears relatively constant during gestation, while it falls in the months following birth, concurrent with stable selenium concentrations in other organs (Westermarck, 1977;Bayliss et al, 1985). This indicates that the liver may act as a store of selenium during gestation and selenium may be redistributed after birth to other organs.…”

Special Micronutrient Concerns in Premature Infants: Implications for Enteral and Parenteral Feeding

“…Similar to zinc and copper, selenium stores are low at birth, so if the preterm infant is provided with selenium-free TPN, there is a risk of the development of a selenium deficiency [29]. Since selenium, like vitamin E, is an antioxidant, neonatologists have speculated that selenium supplementation may protect infants from diseases associated with oxygen free radical damage.…”

Referenzwerte für die Spurenelemente Kupfer, Mangan, Selen und Zink im Serum von Kindern

“…Die Kenntnisse über Bioverfügbarkeit, Interaktionen und Langzeitfolgen der Selenzuruhr sind gering [30]. Ursache der niedrigen Selenkonzentration in den ersten Lebensmonaten ist eine niedrige Selenzufuhr, ein Defizit wird anscheinend durch Depots in verschiedenen Geweben [11] vermieden. Eine bessere Aussagekraft über den Versorgungsstatus an Selen verspricht die Bestimmung des Elements in den Erythrozyten, die mit ca.…”

“…Selen: Die Selenspiegel verschiedener Gewebe sind bei der Geburt höher als im späteren Kindesalter [11]. Möglicherweise enthalten die Leber und andere Organe Selenspeicher, durch die eine niedrige Selenzufuhr in den ersten Lebensmonaten überbrückt werden kann.…”