Effect of Supplemental Selenium on Pancreatic Function and Nutrient Digestibility in the Pig

The effect of Se deficiency on pancreatic digestive enzyme activity and nutrient digestibility was studied by using pigs weaned at 3 wk of age from sows fed a diet deficient in Se and low in vitamin E. Pigs were fed a Torula yeast diet supplemented with 100 IU dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate/kg of diet. Treatments were levels of supplemental Se of 0, .025, .050, .075 or .100 ppm. Apparent digestibility was determined at the end of the second and fourth week. Digestive enzyme activity, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity and Se concentration were determined in pancreatic tissue at the end of the 4-wk experiment. Selenium concentration in the pancreas increased linearly (P less than .01) and quadratically (P less than .05) in response to increasing level of Se supplementation. The correlation between pancreas Se level and GSH-Px activity was .36 (P less than .05). Supplementation of Se had no effect on pancreas weight, protein content or the activity of pancreatic trypsin, chymotrypsin, alpha-amylase or lipase. Apparent digestibility increased linearly for dry matter (P less than .01) and N (P less than .05) as Se supplementation increased. There was however, no significant effect on ether extract digestibility. Apparent digestibilities were higher (P less than .01) at 4 wk than those measured at 2 wk.