Interactions between copper and selenium in sheep in the course of experimentally-produced copper intoxication

This work evaluated the effect of interactions between copper (Cu) and selenium (Se) in the course of experimentally-produced Cu intoxication with industrial emissions on the animals' life spans and the Cu and Se concentrations in serum, liver and kidneys. We selected 15 Valaska ewes 1.5 y old. After the morning feeding all the animals were given emissions from a nearby Cu plant that contained 16.5% Cu and 0.0093% Se. Seven of the animals (group B) were given 5 ml SELEVIT injectable (Biotika, Slovenska Lupca)/head before starting the experiment and again on days 30 and 60. In the animals without Se supplementation (group A) the daily Cu and Se intakes from the emission and food were 466.0 mg and 2.56 mg, respectively. The average life span of the sheep in group A was 77 d and in group B it was 79.83 d. The first death due to intoxication occurred on the day 65 in group A and on day 69 in group B. During the emission feeding period no statistically significant differences were observed in cupraemia between the ewes with Se supplementation and those without it. Hypercupraemia was found in both groups from day 50 till death. Only at the end of the experiment was the serum Cu of group A statistically lower than that in group B. Cu concentrations in the liver and kidneys (dry matter) of the sheep that died with Cu intoxication in group A was 2138 +/- 1090.96 mg/kg and 272.94 +/- 197.16 mg/kg, and in group B they were 2603 +/- 1332.9 mg/kg and 341.65 +/- 307.45 mg/kg, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)