Differential changes of glutathione S-transferase activity by dietary selenium

Dietary selenium deficiency produced increased activity of the glutathione S-transferases in the liver, kidney and duodenal mucosa. In these tissues, the residual activity of total glutathione peroxidase that included selenium-independent activity was considerably higher than that of selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase. The enhanced activity of glutathione S-transferases was restored to control level 48 hr after an injection of selenite equivalent to the amount of daily selenium intake. Under the same conditions, selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity increased with time and reached 11.9, 11.6 and 46.2% of the activity in the liver, kidney and duodenal mucosa of selenium-supplemented rats, respectively, 48 hr after selenite injection, whereas total glutathione peroxidase activity was not altered except in the kidney. These differential changes of glutathione S-transferase activity were intimately related to those of selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity produced by selenium depletion and repletion, suggesting that the glutathione S-transferase activity was regulated by dietary selenium. Present findings support the idea that glutathione S-transferases having selenium-independent glutathione peroxidase activity function as a substitute for selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase in selenium-deficient rats.