Organs, selenomethionine

A thiolase (Eq. 13-35) from Clostridium kluyveri is one of only two known selenoproteins that contain selenomethionine.569 However, the selenomethionine is incorporated randomly in place of methionine. This occurs in all proteins of all organisms to some extent and the toxicity of selenium may result in part from excessive incorporation of selenomethionine into various proteins. 

In terms of human dietary requirements, much of the wheat for breadmaking in the United States is produced in selenium-adequate sections of the country. Bread is generally a good source of dietary selenium, Selenomethionine decomposes lipid peroxides and inhibits in vivo lipid peroxidation in tissues of vitamin-E-deficient chicks. Selenocysdne catalyzes the decomposition of organic hydroperoxides. Selenoproteins show a high degree of inhibition of lipid peroxidation in livers of sheep, chickens, and rats, Thus, some forms of selenium exhibit in vivo antioxidant behavior,... 

Selenomethionine forms optical enantiomers and a chiral column is needed to separate the two forms [160-162], As the presence of salts and organic matter can cause retention times to vary, it is essential that spiking is used to verify them. Also, it should be noted that retention time alone does not allow peaks to be unequivocally assigned. It has been found that the removal of lipid material prior to protein extraction dramatically improves the reproducibility of the chromatographic system and the lifetime of the columns. 

Enhancing the Se levels in crops can be achieved by adding organic amendments (manure of Se-supplemented farmed animals) or inorganic Se to mineral fertilizers [116, 117]. The use of sodium selenate-enriched fertilizers in Finland resulted in increased Se levels in different foods and, consequently, the average serum Se in the population improved over the period 1984 D1988. ICP-MS was used to study the feasibility of wheat enrichment by selenate addition to soil fertilizers [118]. AE-HPLC-ICP-MS was optimized for the separation of selenite, selenate, selenocysteine, and selenomethionine. Total Se determination and speciation analysis were performed in water extracts and in enzymatic digests of wheat samples. It was shown that a major part of the selenate taken up by cereals was converted to selenomethionine. 

Organic Se Dimethylselenide [DMSe, CH3SeCH3] dimethyldisehnide [DMDSe, CH3SeSeCH3], selenomethionine [H3N CHCOO CH2CH2SeMe], selenocysteine [H2N+CHC00 CHSeH] ... 

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