Bioaccessibility of selenium after human ingestion in relation to its chemical species and compartmentalization in maize

International audienceSelenium is a micronutrient needed by all living organisms including humans, but often present in low concentration in food with possible deficiency. From another side, at higher concentrations in soils as observed in seleniferous regions of the world, and in function of its chemical species, Se can also induce (eco)toxicity. Root Se uptake was therefore studied in function of its initial form for maize (Zea mays L.), a plant widely cultivated for human and animal food over the world. Se phytotoxicity and compartmentalization were studied in different aerial plant tissues. For the first time, Se oral human bioaccessibility after ingestion was assessed for the main Se species (SeIV and SeVI) with the BARGE ex vivo test in maize seeds (consumed by humans), and in stems and leaves consumed by animals. Corn seedlings were cultivated in hydroponic conditions supplemented with 1 mg L−1 of selenium (SeIV, SeVI, Control) for 4 months. Biomass, Se concentration, and bioaccessibility were measured on harvested plants. A reduction in plant biomass was observed under Se treatments compared to control, suggesting its phytotoxicity. This plant biomass reduction was higher for selenite species than selenate, and seed was the main affected compartment compared to control. Selenium compartmentalization study showed that for selenate species, a preferential accumulation was observed in leaves, whereas selenite translocation was very limited toward maize aerial parts, except in the seeds where selenite concentrations are generally high. Selenium oral bioaccessibility after ingestion fluctuated from 49 to 89 % according to the considered plant tissue and Se species. Whatever the tissue, selenate appeared as the most human bioaccessible form. A potential Se toxicity was highlighted for people living in seleniferous regions, this risk being enhanced by the high Se bioaccessibility

How to use the world's scarce selenium resources efficiently to increase the selenium concentration in food

The world's rare selenium resources need to be managed carefully. Selenium is extracted as a by-product of copper mining and there are no deposits that can be mined for selenium alone. Selenium has unique properties as a semi-conductor, making it of special value to industry, but it is also an essential nutrient for humans and animals and may promote plant growth and quality. Selenium deficiency is regarded as a major health problem for 0.5 to 1 billion people worldwide, while an even larger number may consume less selenium than required for optimal protection against cancer, cardiovascular diseases and severe infectious diseases including HIV disease. Efficient recycling of selenium is difficult. Selenium is added in some commercial fertilizers, but only a small proportion is taken up by plants and much of the remainder is lost for future utilization. Large biofortification programmes with selenium added to commercial fertilizers may therefore be a fortification method that is too wasteful to be applied to large areas of our planet. Direct addition of selenium compounds to food (process fortification) can be undertaken by the food industry. If selenomethionine is added directly to food, however, oxidation due to heat processing needs to be avoided. New ways to biofortify food products are needed, and it is generally observed that there is less wastage if selenium is added late in the production chain rather than early. On these bases we have proposed adding selenium-enriched, sprouted cereal grain during food processing as an efficient way to introduce this nutrient into deficient diets. Selenium is a non-renewable resource. There is now an enormous wastage of selenium associated with large-scale mining and industrial processing. We recommend that this must be changed and that much of the selenium that is extracted should be stockpiled for use as a nutrient by future generations

Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors activate a calcium-sensitive transient receptor potential-like conductance in rat hippocampus

In CA3 pyramidal neurons from organotypic slice cultures, activation of Gq-coupled group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) induces a non-selective cationic conductance that enhances excitability. We have found that this response shares several properties with conductances that are mediated by the transient receptor potential (TRP) family of ion channels, including inhibition by La3+, 2-aminoethoxydiphenylborane (2APB), cis-N-(2-phenylcyclopentyl)azacyclotridec-1-en-2-amine (MDL 12,330A) and a doubly rectifying current-voltage relationship. Stimulation of mGluR1 and mGluR5 converged to activate the TRP-like conductance in a synergistic manner, and activation of either subtype alone produced only a fraction of the normal response. Activation of the cationic current required elevated intracellular Ca2+. Chelating intracellular Ca2+ or blocking Ca2+ entry through voltage-gated Ca2+ channels attenuated responses to the activation of mGluRs. Conversely, raising intracellular Ca2+ potentiated mGluR activation of the TRP-like conductance. Under control conditions, blocking G protein activation using intracellular GDPβS with or without N-(2, 6-dimethylphenylcarbamoylmethyl) triethylammonium chloride (QX-314) prevented mGluR-mediated activation of the TRP-like conductance. Following G protein blockade, however, the coupling between mGluRs 1 and/or 5 and the TRP-like conductance was rescued by increasing intracellular Ca2+. This suggests that a G protein-independent signalling pathway is also activated by group I mGluRs. Such a pathway may represent an alternative transduction mechanism to maintain metabotropic responses under conditions where G proteins are functionally uncoupled from their cognate receptors