[In vivo study of the inhibitory effect of sodium selenite on mouse complement activation]

A simple and sensitive rocket immunoelectrophoresis technique for the assessment of complement activation was employed to study the effect of sodium selenite on mouse complement activation. It was shown that selenite can cause both in vitro and in vivo inhibition of mouse complement activation. The most significant effect was observed in the inulin-activated group; and not in the mouse aggregated IgG activated group. These results suggest that selenite has some inhibiting effect on the alternative complement activation pathway but not on the classical pathway. Therefore, sodium selenite may be applicable in the alleviation or prevention of symptoms of diseases accompanied by alternative pathway complement activation.