Abstract
Various amounts of ascorbic acid given per os to rats receiving a constant amount of sodium selenite (0.15 mg. selenium) daily did not protect the organs from injury nor prevent the development of ascites. Duration of life in the different groups showed considerable variations and there was no quantitative relation between the amount of ascorbic acid and the survival period. Rats receiving 10 and 20 mgs. of ascorbic acid lived longer than those receiving 200 mg.
The daily administration of a constant amount (100 mg.) of ascorbic acid gave no protection against an increased amount (1.5 mg. per kg. of body weight of selenium) of sodium selenate and selenite. The rats showed pathological changes similar to those observed in chronic selenium poisoning in cattle.
The intraperitoneal injection of 28 mg. of potassium iodide daily increased the toxicity of selenate and selenite selenium.
The daily oral administration of beet pectin increased the life of the animals and prevented the development of ascites during the experiment. Ascites, due to portal obstruction, developed two months after selenium feeding was discontinued.
Footnotes
- Received July 7, 1947.
- 1946 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
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