Cataractogenic and lethal effect of selenite in rats during postnatal ontogenesis

Male rats aged 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 days were injected with a single dose of sodium selenite (20 or 40 mumol/kg b.w.). For two months after the injection, all the rats were observed daily for mortality (acute up to 24 h after the injection, subacute 2--7 days after) and the incidence of permanent and intermittent cataract. With the higher dose, both forms of lethal effect were found to shift to earlier phases of ontogenetic development, subacute mortality appearing sooner than acute mortality. The cataractogenic effect produced by the administration of both 20 and 40 mumol/kg b.w. dependent on the age of the experimental animals. It appeared only in the early phases of ontogenetic development (up to the age of 15 days); cataract was not observed during later development.