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Developmental and Postdevelopmental Uptake of Dietary Organic and Inorganic Selenium into the Molar Teeth of Rats^{1, 2, 3,}

Division of Nutrition, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oregon Dental School, Portland, Oregon 97201

The mechanism for the uptake of dietary inorganic and organic selenium by the fully developed, mature molar teeth of mother rats and the developing molar teeth of their pups was studied. Pregnant rats received drinking solutions containing either 0.2 ppm selenomethionine plus 0.045 µCi ⁷⁵Se-selenomethionine per ml or 0.2 ppm Na₂SeO₃ plus 0.043 µCi Na₂⁷⁵SeO₃ per ml from day 10 of pregnancy until parturition. Thirteen days postpartum, the uptake of dietary ⁷⁵Se into developing molar teeth was more extensive than the postdevelopmental uptake onto mature teeth. Developing molar teeth incorporated more ⁷⁵Se from dietary selenomethionine than from selenite, as did many hard and soft tissues studied. The major portionof ⁷⁵Se in enamel and dentine was located in the protein fraction of these dental tissues. Dialysis experiments showed that the selenium in enamel and dentine existed in at least three forms: loosely bound selenium, proteinaceous selenotrisulfides, and proteinaceous stable selenium. These data and the results of a previous study (J. Nutr. 103, 553–559) provide evidence that selenium incorporated into developing proteins as selenotrisulfides or selenoamino acids may be responsible for the increases in dental caries reported in man and experimental animals ingesting somewhat increased amounts of dietary selenium.

KEY WORDS: • dietary ⁷⁵Se • teeth • dental caries • enamel proteins • dentine proteins

¹ This manuscript is dedicated to the memory of Dr. D. M. Hadjimarkos, Chairman, Department of Preventive Dentistry, University of Oregon Dental School, who passed away October 9, 1973, after contributing nearly 25 years of effort to our understanding of the interaction between selenium and dental caries.

² A preliminary report was presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the FASEB in Atlantic City, N.J., on April 10, 1974, and published in abstract form: Federation Proc. 33, 2739. (Abstr.)

³ Supported by U.S. Public Health Service grants DE 03536 and DE 03856 from the National Institute of Dental Research.

Manuscript received 20 August 1974.