Tissue level, distribution, and total body selenium content in healthy and diseased humans in Poland

The authors obtained tissue samples taken at autopsy from 46 healthy individuals killed in accidents and from 75 corpses of victims of various diseases to analyze selenium levels. The per-weight-unit basis of selenium levels (all expressed as ng/gm wet tissue) in tissues decreased in the following order: kidney (469) > liver > spleen > pancreas > heart > brain > lung > bone > skeletal muscle (51). The highest proportion of body selenium was found in skeletal muscles (27.5%); much less selenium was found in bones (16%) and blood (10%). In the tissues of cancer corpses, the selenium levels were much lower than levels in controls. The lowest selenium levels were found in the livers of alcoholics. Tissue selenium levels found in the study were significantly lower than levels reported in Japan, United States, Canada, and other countries. The low selenium levels in the tissues of Polish residents result from inadequate selenium levels in the soil. The authors used selenium levels in tissues to calculate the amount of selenium in humans in Poland (i.e., approximately 5.2 mg). This level was similar to levels found in New Zealand (i.e., 3.0-6.1 mg), but it was lower than the mean level found in Germany (i.e., 6.6 mg) and in the United States (i.e., 13.0-20.3 mg).