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Drug-Induced Changes in Selenium-Dependent Glutathione Peroxidase Activity in the Chick¹

Department of Poultry and Avian Sciences, and Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853

The ability of aurothioglucose and D(-)-penicillamine hydrochloride to inhibit selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase (SeGSH-Px) in vitro and to increase exudative diathesis in vitamin E-deficient chickens was studied. Aurothioglucose and penicillamine competitively inhibited SeGSH-Px in inverse proportion to the concentration of hydrogen peroxide and reduced glutathione, respectively, in chick liver postmitochondrial supernatant assay preparations. Neither drug inhibited glutathione reductase or superoxide dismutase at the concentrations tested; however, both inhibited catalase in a semilogarithmic fashion. This was true for both the purified bovine enzyme and chick liver homogenate. Aurothioglucose and penicillamine injected subcutaneously at the back of the neck increased exudative diathesis in vitamin E-deficient chickens fed 0.1 ppm Se, and effectively overcame the protective effect of selenium 72 h after injection in chicks fed vitamin E-free, low selenium diets supplemented with 0.0–0.1 ppm Se. Assays of plasma and of liver, lung and kidney postmitochondrial supernatants indicated that all observed reductions in SeGSH-Px activity preceded increases in exudative diathesis. Plasma and liver SeGSH-Px activities were lower at early times (6–24 h) after treatment with high doses of either drug. Lung SeGSH-Px activities were only lower in chicks receiving 240 mg penicillamine/kg 6 h after treatment; kidney SeGSH-Px activities were only lower in chicks treated with the highest dose of aurothioglucose 48 h after treatment. Brain SeGSH-Px activities were unaffected by drug treatment and the heart had higher SeGSH-Px activities only at 6 h after treatment with the highest dose of either drug compared to saline controls. Catalase activities in liver homogenates were only significantly altered by penicillamine; the highest dose caused the activity to be higher than that in salinetreated chicks. The cause of the lower SeGSH-Px activities could be either lower enzyme concentrations in tissues of the drug-treated groups and/or direct inhibition. Whatever the mechanism, it is concluded that exudative diathesis can be used to determine which drugs reduce SeGSH-Px activity in the chick.

KEY WORDS: • selenium • glutathione peroxidase • exudative diathesis • vitamin E-deficient • aurothioglucose • D(-)-penicillamine • HCl

¹ Supported in part by U.S. Public Health Service grant GM30677.

Manuscript received 25 January 1985. Revision accepted 18 July 1985.