Effect of selenium on cultured bovine luteal cells

The present study examined the possibility that selenium (Se) directly affects the corpus luteum (CL) and contributes to the maintenance of reproductive function. Primary culture of bovine CL was used to investigate this possibility. Se addition from 5 to 200 ppb elevated progesterone concentration of the culture medium in a dose-dependent manner which was associated with an increase in cell proliferation rather than an increase in progesterone production per cell, and decreased the lipid peroxide content of luteal cells. However, the luteal cells in which hormone production was increased by LH treatment, accumulated more lipid peroxide than in control incubations. The results suggest that Se is involved in the degradation of lipid peroxides which are by-products of active progesterone production by luteal cells. The increase of cell proliferation observed in this experiment was associated with the removal of these toxic peroxides.