Distribution and Excretion Studies in the Rat After a Single Subtoxic Subcutaneous Injection of Sodium Selenate Containing Radioselenium

Previous investigators (l-4) have demonstrated a wide but varied distribution of selenium in animal Cssues by feeding and injection of single and multiple, minimal, subtoxic, and toxic doses of both inorganic and organic forms.Their work has been extended by the utilization of the radioactive isotope of selenium as a tagged atom.With the use of radioselenium which has advantages of a half life of 50 days with a specific y-ray emission of 0.5 and 0.21 m.e.v. ( 5) micro selenium determinations have been made with far greater precision than would have been possible by any known chemical analytical procedure.The extreme sensitivity of the method has made possible not only quantitative detection of traces of the metal but a study of time-distribution differences of exceedingly small amounts.This has enabled the invcstigat.or to study the mechanism of excretion accurately, as well as the cschange of selenium from one tissue to another.13y means of this anomalous method, it was the plan of the experiments presented here to make a thorough time-distribution and excretion study in the rat after a single injection of sodium selenate containing radioselenium. MethodSodium selenatc containing radioselenium was injected subcutaneously into twenty-five young, adult, male, stock, albino