Selenium absorption, distribution, and excretion in white sturgeon orally dosed with l-selenomethionine.

The usefulness of a newly developed, combined technique consisting of esophageal intubation, dorsal aortic cannulation, and urinary catheterization to deliver Se orally and to monitor Se uptake, accumulation, and excretion in white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) was explored. Groups of five yearling sturgeon (1-2 kg) each were intubated with 0 (sham), 250, 500, or 1,000 microg Se/kg body weight in the form of L-selenomethionine, an ecologically relevant organic form of Se. Selenium concentrations in whole blood, plasma, and red blood cells did not change in the sham group but began to rise within 2 h postintubation in the other groups, and levels remained near maximum concentrations throughout the 48-h sampling period. Average urinary Se excretion rates over the entire 48-h period were 0.05, 0.46, 0.61, and 2.15 microg Se/kg/h in sturgeon intubated with 0, 250, 500, and 1,000 microg Se/kg, respectively. Selenium excretion rates were highest within the first 6 h in all treatment groups except the sham group. Selenium concentrations in the liver were positively correlated with the intubated Se dosage.