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Selenomethionine (SeMet) is a beneficial organic source of selenium that is extensively used as a food additive owing to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Due to the sensitivity of the kidneys to noxious stimuli, they are more susceptible to various injuries. To investigate the protective mechanisms of SeMet supplementation against kidney injury, we established an in vivo experimental model using laying hens treated with SeMet (0.5 mg/kg diet) and/or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (0.2 mg/kg. BW) and an in vitro model of chicken embryo primary kidney (CEK) cells treated with SeMet (0.075 mM) and with/ without LPS (60 μg/mL). SeMet treatment alleviated the LPS-induced kidney insufficiency and mitochondrial damage. Furthermore, it reduced the expression of TLR4, RIPK3, MLKL, DRP1, NLRP3, and IL-1β in the kidneys of laying hens. RIPK3 is known to induced necroptosis and inflammation by activating of the downstream factors DRP1 and MLKL. To investigate the mechanism whereby SeMet alleviates LPS-induced necroptosis in the kidney, we pretreated CEK cells with TLR4, RIPK3, and DRP1 inhibitors. The results demonstrated that RIPK3 inhibition resulted in a significantly increased in the mitochondrial membrane potential and downregulation of DRP1. Upon the inhibition of DRP1 expression, MLKL, NLRP3, and IL-1β expression also decreased. In summary, SeMet regulates the TLR4/RIPK3/DRP1 signaling pathway to restore the LPS-induced imbalances in mitochondrial dynamics, thereby alleviating necroptosis and inflammation in the kidneys of laying hen. Selenium also increases the expression of selenoproteins. This study provides valuable information for the development of new therapeutic strategies using SeMet to alleviate kidney injury., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial inte rests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to compare the effects of various dietary selenium (Se) sources (0.5 mg/kg) on performance, meat quality, and antioxidant capacity in broilers as well as essential trace elements concentrations in their blood and tissues. A total of 360 one-day-old male yellow-feathered chickens (37.00 ± 0.17 g) were randomly allocated to 5 diet treatments: the basal diet (CON) and 4 diets supplemented with sodium selenite (SS), selenomethionine (SM), selenium-enriched yeast (SY), and nano-selenium (NS) for 56 d, respectively, with 6 replicates per treatment and 12 chickens per replicate. Dietary Se supplementation did not affect growth performance and carcass characteristics in broilers (P > 0.05). Supplemental SM enhanced the redness in the pectoral muscle compared to CON and NS (P < 0.05). Supplementation of SY and NS improved the concentrations of Se, copper, manganese, and zinc in the serum (P < 0.05). Supplemental SS also elevated the zinc content in the serum (P < 0.05). Broilers fed the SY diet showed increased Se content in the liver and pectoral muscle compared to those fed CON, SM, and NS diets (P < 0.05). Also, SY improved the pectoral muscle Se concentration compared to SS (P < 0.05). Besides, dietary Se supplementation increased the Se content in the thigh muscle (P < 0.05), with SY showing highest Se deposition. Dietary supplementation with SS, SM, and NS improved the activities of total superoxide dismutase and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in the serum (P < 0.05). Supplemental SY also elevated the T-AOC in the serum (P < 0.05). Additionally, SS and SM enhanced the T-AOC in the liver (P < 0.05). In conclusion, supplemental SM affected meat color. Supplementing diets with various Se sources increased antioxidant capacity and Se content in the thigh muscle of broilers, with SY showing a more pronounced deposition efficiency. Besides, diets supplemented with different Se sources had variable effects on the concentrations of essential trace elements in the serum and tissues of broilers., Competing Interests: DISCLOSURES The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This experiment aims to study the effects of dietary selenium (Se) sources on the production performance, reproductive performance, and maternal effect of breeder laying hens. A total of 2,112 Hyline brown breeder laying hens of 42 wk of age were selected and randomly divided into 3 groups, with 8 repeats in each group and 88 chickens per repeat. The sources of dietary Se were sodium selenite (SS, added at 0.3 mg/kg), L-selenomethionine (L-SM, added at 0.2 mg/kg), and combination of SS and L-SM (SS 0.15 mg/kg + L-SM 0.15 mg/kg). The pretest period was 7 d, and the breeding period was 49 d. Compared with 0.3 mg/kg SS, the addition of 0.2 mg/kg L-SM in the diet significantly increased the hatchability (P < 0.05) and the Se content (P < 0.05) in egg yolk and chicken embryo tissues and improved the activity of yolk glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px) effectively (P < 0.05). Treatment with 0.2 mg/kg L-SM also reduced the content of yolk malondialdehyde (P < 0.05) and significantly improved the antioxidant performance of 1-day-old chicks, as manifested by increased activity of antioxidant enzymes (GSH-px, total antioxidant capacity and the ability to inhibit hydroxyl radicals) in serum, pectoral, heart, and liver (P < 0.05). This treatment decreased the malondialdehyde content (P < 0.05) and increased the expression of liver glutathione peroxidase 4 and deiodinase 1 mRNA (P < 0.05). Adding L-SM to the diets of chickens increased the hatchability of breeder eggs as well as the amount of Se deposited and antioxidant enzyme activity in breeder eggs and embryos. Compared with SS, L-SM was more effectively transferred from the mother to the embryo and offspring, showing efficient maternal nutrition. For breeder diets, the combination of organic and inorganic Se (0.15 mg/kg SS + 0.15 mg/kg L-SM) is an effective nutrient supplementation technology program for effectively improving the breeding performance of breeders and the antioxidant performance and health level of offspring chicks., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

A total of 200 healthy 28-day-old male Jiangnan White geese were used to investigate the free radical scavenging ability, reduced glutathione (GSH) and thioredoxin systems, and the concentrations of reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM), malondialdehyde (MDA), and protein carbonyl (PC) in geese fed diets with organic selenium (Se) (Selenomethionine, SeMet) and inorganic Se (sodium selenite, SS). All geese were randomly allotted into 4 groups with 5 replicates of 10 geese each, and received basal diet supplemented with 0.3 mg Se/kg SS, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 mg Se/kg SeMet until 70 D of age, respectively. Geese in the SS and SeMet groups exhibited similar growth performance. Diet with SeMet increased the scavenging abilities of 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt free radical (ABTS•+, P < 0.001) and superoxide radical (O2-•, P = 0.002) in the serum of geese, as well as the scavenging abilities of ABTS•+ (P = 0.023), hydroxyl radical (P = 0.009) and O2-• (P = 0.019) in the liver of geese. Compared to the SS group, SeMet increased hepatic GSH concentration (P = 0.002), the activities of glutathione peroxidase (P = 0.031), γ-glutamate cysteine ligase (P < 0.001), and thioredoxin reductase (P < 0.001), and decreased the concentrations of ROM, MDA, and PC in the serum and liver of geese (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary SeMet inclusion would be more effective than SS in increasing the antioxidant capacity of geese, possibly by improving GSH and thioredoxin systems, and 0.2 mg Se/kg SeMet in goose diet is recommended., (© 2019 Poultry Science Association Inc.)

The aim of the present study was to verify the effect of selenomethionine (SM) supplementation in the diet of chickens on performance, carcass yield, apparent retention, meat quality, and selenium (Se) deposition in tissues. In the first experiment, 2,100 day-old male chicks from the Hubbard Flex strain were randomly distributed in 84 plots with 12 treatments and 7 replicates. The treatments consisted of SM (1,600 ppm) supplementation at levels of 0.3 and 0.5 ppm in substitution of sodium selenite (45.7%) in different preslaughter phases. In the second experiment, 224 day-old male chicks from Hubbard Flex strain were randomly distributed in 28 metabolic cages. Poultry were distributed in 4 treatments with 7 replicates (8 poultry) in the experimental period from 1 to 21 D and experimental plot with 4 poultry aged from 22 to 42 D. Treatments consisted of 4 SM addition levels (0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6 ppm). In both experiments, the performance (1 to 21 and 1 to 42 D), carcass yield and cuts, apparent retention of Se (33 to 35 D), physical and chemical characteristics of the breast meat were evaluated: objective color, drip loss (DL), cooking loss (CL), pH, peroxide value, and Se deposition in tissues. In experiment I, it was found that SM at 0.3 ppm improved the weight gain and feed conversion of 1 to 42 D. The use of SM at 0.5 ppm resulted in lower DL and CL. The highest Se deposition in muscles was obtained using the SM at 0.5 ppm of 1 to 42 D. Using the SM at 0.5 ppm, only in the last week there was a deposition similar to the use of SM at 0.3 ppm of 1 to 42 D. In experiment II, it can be observed that increased SM levels provided lower DL and lower pH values. Se deposition in tissues of broiler chickens increased linearly at the SM level from 0.3 to 0.6 ppm., (© 2018 Poultry Science Association Inc.)

Fluorosis can induce oxidative stress through leading to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Selenium (Se) can eliminate ROS by direct and indirect manners. In this study, therefore, we investigated the possible protective effects of sodium selenite (SS) and selenomethionine (Se-Met) on fluorine (F)-induced oxidative stress in broilers. A total of 720 1-day-old Lingnan Yellow broilers were allotted to 4 groups (6 replicates of 30 birds each group) and fed with basal diet (control group), 800 mg/kg F (high F group), 800 mg/kg F+0.15 mg Se/kg as SS (SS group), or Se-Met (Se-Met group), respectively. The experiment lasted 50 d. High F group significantly decreased (P < 0.05) the average daily gain (ADG) and feed efficiency (FE) in comparison with control group. The contents of ROS, malondialdehyde, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, protein carbonyl, and cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinases 3 in serum, liver, and kidney were higher (P < 0.05) in high F group than those in control group. Compared with control group, the decreased (P < 0.05) activities of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and cytoplasmic thioredoxin reductase (TrxR1) as well as contents of selenoprotein P (SelP), total protein (TP), and B-cell lymphoma-2 in serum and tissues were observed in high F group. Moreover, the pathological lesions of liver and kidney in high F group were more than those in control group. However, supplementation with SS and Se-Met could improve ADG and FE, increase SelP and TP concentrations, elevate GSH-Px and TrxR1 activities, minimize the changes of oxidative stress and apoptosis parameters as well as ultrastructure of liver and kidney, whereas the effects of Se-Met were better than those of SS. The results indicated that excess F could result in growth inhibition of broilers through inducing oxidative stress and subsequently caused oxidative damage to biological macromolecules and soft tissues as well as apoptosis, whereas dietary SS and Se-Met supplementation could antagonize high F induced growth retardation by inhibiting oxidative stress and a mechanism of apoptosis regulation and the impact was more with Se-Met.

A study was conducted to evaluate growth performance, carcass and breast yields, and the occurrence and severity of white striping (WS) and wooden breast (WB) myopathies of broilers fed diets supplemented with increasing dietary levels of an organic source of selenium (Zn-L-SeMet). Broilers were fed 6 treatments with 12 replications of 26 birds in a 4-phase feeding program from 1 to 42 days. Corn-soy-based diets were supplemented with 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 ppm of Zn-L-SeMet. At 42 d, 6 birds were randomly selected from each pen (n = 72) and processed for carcass and breast yields. Breast fillets were scored for WS and WB at 42 days. Increasing Zn-L-SeMet led to quadratic responses (P < 0.05) for FCR from 1 to 7 d, BWG from 22 to 35 d, and for both responses from 8 to 21 d and 36 to 42 d, as well as in the overall period of 42 days. Carcass and breast yields presented a quadratic improvement (P < 0.01) with increasing Zn-L-SeMet supplementation and Se requirements were estimated at 0.85 and 0.86 ppm, respectively. In the overall period, estimates of Se requirements were 0.64 ppm for BWG and 0.67 ppm for FCR. White striping and WB scores presented quadratic increases (P < 0.01), and maximum scores were observed at 0.68 and 0.67 ppm, respectively. Broilers fed diets formulated without Se supplementation had a higher percentage of normal fillets compared to other Se supplementation levels (quadratic, P < 0.05). In conclusion, increasing Se supplementation to reach maximum growth performance led to higher degrees of severity of WS and WB. Selenium requirements determined in the present study were significantly higher than the present commercial recommendations.

This study evaluated the effect of different dietary vitamin E levels and different selenium sources on the productive and reproductive performance of broiler breeders. In total 640 females and 64 males between 22 and 52 weeks old were studied. A completely randomized experimental design in factorial arrangement, with 4 treatments of 8 replicates with 20 females and 2 males each, was applied. Treatments consisted of 2 vitamin E levels (30 and 120 mg/kg) and two selenium sources (sodium selenite and zinc-L-selenomethionine). Egg production (rate of lay and eggs per breeder), egg characteristics (egg, yolk, eggshell, and albumen weights), fertility, incubation responses (egg weight loss during incubation, hatchability, and hatching window), and hatchling characteristics (weight and yield) were evaluated. There was no influence of dietary vitamin E levels or selenium sources on egg production (P > 0.05). Mature breeders (47 weeks old) fed zinc-L-selenomethionine and 120 mg vitamin E/kg feed produced heavier eggs and albumen. Hatchability of the eggs of breeders fed 120 mg vitamin E/kg feed was higher than breeders fed 30 mg vitamin at 29 wks. The dietary inclusion of organic selenium also promoted heavier hatchling weight until egg production peak (33 wk), but did not influence hatchling quality or hatching window. It was concluded that the dietary supplementation of zinc-L-selenomethione and vitamin E (120 mg/kg feed) could be used to improve egg characteristics and incubation response., (© 2015 Poultry Science Association Inc.)

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of DL-selenomethionine (SM) with 2 routinely used Se sources, sodium selenite (SS) and seleno-yeast (SY), on relative bioavailability based on antioxidant activity and tissue Se content. Six hundred thirty 131-day-old brown laying hens were randomly assigned to 7 treatments for 168 d (24 wks) with 6 replicates of 15 hens per replicate. The SS and SY animals were supplemented a cornmeal and soybean diet that supplied a total Se 0.3 mg/kg whereas SM was added at 4 different levels to the total Se at 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7 mg/kg. All hens fed the Se-supplemented diet showed higher glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity (P < 0.01), higher superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity (P < 0.05), lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content (P < 0.05) in plasma, and greater Se contents in egg yolks, albumen, leg muscle, breast muscle, liver, and plasma compared with those fed the control diet (P < 0.01). The organic sources (SY and SM) exhibited a greater ability to increase the GSH-Px activity (P < 0.01) and Se content in albumen (P < 0.01), leg, and breast muscles (P = 0.0099 and P = 0.0014, respectively) than the SS that was added at 0.3 mg Se/kg. The higher SM added levels increased the GSH-Px activity until the dose of 0.5mg Se/kg (P < 0.01).The greater Se concentrations in albumen, muscle and liver appeared in the higher SM-added level, as well as above the dose of 0.1 mg Se/kg (P < 0.01). In addition, hens fed the diet with SM accumulated more Se in albumen, leg, and breast muscle than those fed diets with SY (P < 0.05). These results confirmed the higher ability of organic Se sources to increase the antioxidant activity and Se deposition in egg albumen, leg, and breast muscles compared with SS, and demonstrated a significantly better efficiency of SM compared with SY for albumen and muscle Se enrichment., (© 2015 Poultry Science Association Inc.)

Developing new sources of organic Se has potential benefit for animal production and human nutrition via animal-based foods enriched in Se. The objectives of this trial were to compare L-selenomethionine with another organic Se source, Se-enriched yeast (SelPlex 2300), and sodium selenite, an inorganic Se source, against a commercial control diet. The effect of source and the dosage of Se supplementation on Se in eggs and blood variables was investigated. Ten treatments were used with 18 laying hens per group. In addition to the control diet, the control diet was supplemented with L-selenomethionine, Se-enriched yeast, or sodium selenite at 0.1, 0.3, or 0.5 mg/kg of Se. The feeding trial lasted 8 wk. Birds in the different treatment groups all showed good performance. At d 0 and 56, Se and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were analyzed in 10 blood samples per group. After supplementing the diets for 56 d, significantly higher Se levels in serum and egg contents were reached for the Se-supplemented groups compared with the control. Supplementing 0.3 and 0.5 mg/kg of L-selenomethionine or Se-enriched yeast instead of 0.1 mg/kg significantly increased the serum Se levels, whereas no significant increase was found for sodium selenite. No effect of Se source or dosage was observed on serum GPx levels. Selenium in eggs was significantly affected by dosage and source of Se. The Se supplementation level in the feed was reflected in the eggs, with the highest and lowest values for 0.5 and 0.1 mg/kg, respectively, and values in between for the 0.3 mg/kg supplementation level. A dose response was most pronounced for L-selenomethionine, followed by Se-enriched yeast, and was least when Se was added as sodium selenite. It can be concluded that Se from organic sources was more bioavailable than the inorganic Se source as evidenced by blood and egg Se levels. Within the organic Se sources, L-selenomethionine showed higher Se transfer to eggs than Se-enriched yeast., (©2014 Poultry Science Association Inc.)

An 8-wk experiment using 180 Lingnan Yellow broiler breeders was conducted to investigate the effect of different sources of Se on the concentration and gene expression of selenoprotein P (SEPP1) in broiler breeders and their offspring. After receiving a low-Se basal diet for 8 wk, broiler breeders were randomly allocated to 3 treatments (6 replicates per treatment) and fed corn-soy-based diets supplemented with 0.15 mg/kg of Se from sodium selenite (SS), Se-enriched yeast (SY), and selenomethionine (SM), respectively. Fertile eggs from different replicates were collected during the last week of the experiment and then incubated in different incubator trays in the same incubator. The concentrations and mRNA levels of SEPP1 were determined in liver and kidney of broiler breeders and their offspring, as well as the serum SEPP1 concentration. Compared with SS, both SY and SM significantly increased (P < 0.05) the concentration and mRNA level of SEPP1 in 1-d-old chicks. In broiler breeders, the serum and liver SEPP1 concentrations were notably increased by the use of organic Se (P < 0.05), whereas no differences were found in the kidney. Moreover, the SEPP1 mRNA level in the liver was remarkably elevated (P < 0.05) in organic Se treatments, but also no differences were observed in the kidney. Results of this study indicate that the use of organic Se (SY or SM) in maternal diets is very effective for increasing the concentration and mRNA level of SEPP1, especially in their offspring. No differences between SY and SM were observed.

In total, 180 Lingnan Yellow broiler breeders were used to investigate the effect of different sources of selenium (Se) on the expression of cellular glutathione peroxidase (GPx1) and cytoplasmic thioredoxin reductase (TrxR1) in the liver and kidney of broiler breeders and their offspring by quantitative real-time PCR. There were 6 replicates of 3 dietary treatments. Broiler breeders were fed corn-soy-based diets supplemented with 0.15 mg/kg of Se from sodium selenite, Se-enriched yeast (SY), or selenomethionine (SM). At the end of the feeding trial, liver and kidney mRNA levels of GPx1 and TrxR1 were determined by quantitative real-time PCR, as well as the activity of GPx1 and TrxR1 in liver and kidney of breeders and their offspring. The results showed that, compared with sodium selenite, SY or SM significantly increased (P < 0.05) the activity of TrxR1 in the liver and kidney of broiler breeders and their offspring but not the GPx1 activity. The liver GPx1 and TrxR1 mRNA levels in SY or SM groups were higher (P < 0.05) than that in the sodium selenite group. And the kidney TrxR1 mRNA levels were also significantly increased (P < 0.05) by using SY or SM, whereas there was no significant difference in the kidney GPx1 mRNA levels between the organic or inorganic sources of Se used.

Research has shown that trace elements, such as Se, Mn, and Zn, can alter reproductive functions. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the sperm quality index (SQI) and sperm viability as affected by various levels and sources of Se, Mn, and Zn when added in vitro to broiler breeder semen. In vitro treatments consisted of the following sources and levels of minerals: Control, no minerals added to sperm; seleno L-methionine, 4 levels ranging from 8.78 to 7,896 microg/L; sodium selenite, 4 levels ranging from 8.78 to 7,896 microg/L; MnSO4, 8 levels ranging from 6,500 to 65,000 mg/L; Zn 180 (Zinpro Corporation), 4 levels ranging from 0.65 to 650 mg/L; and ZnSO4, 4 levels ranging from 0.65 to 650 mg/L. The addition of 7,896 microg of sodium selenite/L to semen was detrimental to sperm motility. Also, MnSO4 adversely affected SQI and sperm viability at concentrations of 6,500 mg/L and greater. Sperm viability was decreased when 650 mg/L of Zn 180 was added to semen. Sperm motility was depressed by exposure to Zn 180 at 650 mg/L and ZnSO4 at 65 and 650 mg/L. Our results suggest that these trace minerals must act at the reproductive tissue level during spermatogenesis to improve semen quality. Direct in vitro application of these elements to semen appears to be detrimental to spermatozoa.

Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of dietary protein level and level of feed intake on the apparent bioavailability of Se from Na2SeO3 and selenomethionine (DL-Se-Met) for protection from exudative diathesis (ED) of the Se- and vitamin E-depleted chick. Level of dietary protein (22.5 vs. 16.9%) significantly (P less than .01) affected the incidence of ED at several levels of dietary Se from each source. At each level of Se, the low protein diet resulted in a lower incidence of ED and, thus, an increase in the apparent bioavailability of Se; Se from Na2SeO3 was more available than that from Se-Met. Further experiments were conducted to determine whether the effect of dietary protein level on the incidence of ED was due to effects on growth rate or feed intake. Chicks were fed the high or low protein basal diets at 75% of ad libitum rate of feed consumption. Sodium selenite was added to make Se intakes equivalent, either on a per day or a per unit gain basis, to ad libitum feeding controls receiving the Se-supplemented diets. Results showed that both a low level of dietary protein and a restricted level of feeding markedly reduced the incidence and severity of ED. The activity of Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase (SeGSHpx) in plasma and liver varied inversely with the incidence of ED and was increased by feed restriction. These results suggest that growth rate affects both the clinical and biochemical manifestations of Se-deficiency in the chick. Because both parameters are used to assess the bioavailability of Se in feeds and foods, bioassays in which growth rate is different between test and reference treatments may yield incorrect results.

An experiment was designed to determine if surgical bursectomy (Bx) of day-old chicks would alter the distribution or amount of selenium (Se) in chicken tissues. Sham-operated chicks and Bx chicks were fed a practical corn-soy diet with either no supplemented Se, selenite to supply .1 ppm Se, or selenomethionine to supply .1 ppm Se. Several chicks were killed at 10 and 21 days of age to determine tissue Se levels. At each time the remaining chicks were injected with sheep red blood cells (SRBC). The remaining chickens were killed at 56 days. Serum from Bx chicks caused no agglutination with SRBC, and the immunoglobulin content was decreased as compared to levels in serum of sham-operated chicks. The Se level of tissues increased as a result of time and Se supplementation (P less than .01). The Bx caused a small but significant (P less than .01) decrease in spleen Se level, but other tissue Se levels were not affected. The results suggest that the serum lymphocytes and immunoglobulins have only a passive function in Se metabolism and distribution in chickens.