The Effects of Oral Consumption of Selenium Nanoparticles on the Antioxidative Activity of Neutrophils in Sheep

Objectives: The best-known biological roles of selenium are linked to its presence as the functional component in selenoenzymes such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR). The present study was designed to compare the effects of nano red selenium and sodium selenite on the antioxidative activity of neutrophils in sheep.Materials Methods: Fifteen sheep were randomly allocated into three groups. Groups 1 and 2 received selenium nanoparticles orally at 1 mg/kg and sodium selenite at 1 mg Se/kg for 10 consecutive days; group 3 served as the control. To assess the degrees of oxidative stress and of lipid peroxidation of the cellular membranes, the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were determined in serum samples that were collected at different supplementation intervals, i.e., after 0, 10, 20, and 30 days. Results Conclusion: It was found that TBARS levels in groups 1 and 2 were significantly higher on days 20 and 30 compared to the basal level on day 0. It was also found that on day 30, the TBARS activity in both treated groups were significantly higher than those of the controls (P 0.05). The increase in TBARS value is longer and more severe when caused by sodium selenite than nano-selenium, which shows the better antioxidative effects of selenium nanoparticles. These findings may explain the seemingly paradoxical effects of supplemental selenium on the indicators of oxidative stress, as the levels of TBARS were generally expected to decrease in the presence of selenium,