Effect of dietary "antioxidant" supplementation on the susceptibility to oxygen toxicity in mice

This study was undertaken to test chronic feeding of some normal dietary constituents on susceptibility to oxygen toxicity. Eight-week-old male CD-1 mice were fed a semi-purified diet simulating that of the average American male and supplemented with either vitamin E, vitamin K3, selenium, or the sulfur amino acids methionine and cystine. After 2, 4, 8, or 16 weeks, groups of mice were exposed to oxygen at 1, 4, or 8 ATA and times to respiratory distress, convulsion, and death recorded. Vitamin E and amino acid supplementation had no effect whereas vitamin K and selenium supplements increased time to death at 1 ATA. Only the effect of selenium was statistically significant. All diets significantly increased the time of onset of the measured parameters beginning after 4 weeks, suggesting that one or more constituents of the basal diet afforded some protection against oxygen toxicity.