High selenium diet attenuates pressure overload-induced cardiopulmonary oxidative stress, inflammation, and heart failure

Selenium (Se) deficiency is associated with the development of Keshan disease, a cardiomyopathy associated with massive cardiac immune cell infiltration that can lead to heart failure (HF). The purpose of this study was to determine whether high Se diet can attenuate systolic overload-induced cardiopulmonary inflammation and HF. Briefly, transverse aortic constriction (TAC)-induced cardiopulmonary oxidative stress, inflammation, left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, and pulmonary remodeling were determined in male mice fed with either high Se diet or normal Se diet. High Se diet had no detectable effect on LV structure and function in mice under control conditions, but high Se diet significantly protected mice from TAC-induced LV hypertrophy, dysfunction, increase of lung weight, and right ventricular hypertrophy. As compared with mice treated with normal Se diet, high Se diet also reduced TAC-induced LV cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, fibrosis, leukocyte infiltration, pulmonary inflammation, pulmonary fibrosis, and pulmonary micro-vessel muscularization. In addition, high Se diet significantly ameliorated TAC-induced accumulation and activation of pulmonary F4/80