Abstract: Objective To explore the effects of selenium on the antioxidant function of rats under high-fat diet and different safe doses of selenium. Methods A total of 60 SPF Wistar rats(6 weeks old, half male and half female)were randomly divided into normal group, normal+0.3 mg/kg Se group, normal+0.9 mg/kg Se group, high-fat group, high-fat+0.3 mg/kg Se group and high-fat+0.9 mg/kg Se group, with 10 rats in each group. The body weight was measured every 2 weeks. The rats were sacrificed after 8 weeks. Serum selenium, glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase(SOD), and total glutathione(T-GSH)were measured. Statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance with factorial design. Results In male rats, the activity of GSH-Px was mainly affected by the concentration of selenium(P=0.002). Dietary factors and selenium concentration could affect the activity of SOD(P=0.005, P=0.050). The concentration of T-GSH was mainly affected by dietary factors(P<0.001). In male rats on a high-fat diet, the activity of GSH-PX and serum concentration of T-GSH increased first and then decreased with the elevation of selenium concentration. Conclusion To some extent, low and medium concentrations of selenium promote the antioxidant function of male rats on a high-fat diet, while the antioxidant function decreases with the elevation of selenium concentration.

Key words: Dietary factors, High-fat diet, Selenium, Antioxidation, Rats