[Effects of selenium on endogenous synthesis of N-nitrosamines and toxicity of nitrites in rats]

Male Wistar rats were fed selenium (0.2, 2.9 or 5.5 mg/kg of dry feed) in the form of selenomethionine. They also received for 6 weeks amidopyrine (33 mg/kg b.w.) and/or sodium nitrite (20 mg/kg b.w.) administered intragastrically. The quantitation of endogenously synthetized volatile nitrosamines in the stomach, selenium in the serum, biochemically evaluated nitrite and nitrosamines toxicity revealed an inverse relationship between feed selenium concentrations and the amount of endogenously produced nitrosodimethylamine from equal precursor doses. A protective selenium effect on methemoglobin-producing action of nitrite ions was established. It is shown that introduction of precursors induces increased body need in selenium.