Nutritional availability and chronic toxicity of selenocyanate in the rat.

To evaluate nutritional availability and chronic toxicity of KSeCN, female postweanling rats were fed casein-based diets plus 0.1, 0.5, 2.5, 5 and 10 mg Se/kg as KSeCN for 6 wk, or 0.1, 0.5 and 10 mg Se/kg as Na2SeO3. A control group was fed the basal diet (Se = 0.04 mg/kg) and one group was fed the basal diet plus 5 mg Se/L as KSeCN in the drinking water. There were no differences in weight gain and diet consumption among groups fed 2.5 mg Se/kg or less. At 5 and 10 mg Se/kg, rats showed depression in weight gain and diet consumption. After wk 6 there were no abnormalities of the major organs of rats fed 2.5 mg Se/kg or less. Spleen enlargement was observed at 5 and 10 mg Se/kg, and liver damage and kidney enlargement at 10 mg Se/kg. Se content in the blood, liver and kidney of rats fed KSeCN was generally somewhat lower than for those fed Na2SeO3 at the same levels. The availability of Se from KSeCN for glutathione peroxidase formation in blood, liver and kidney was comparable to that of Na2SeO3. Plasma thyroxine in groups fed 10 mg Se/kg was 40% of that in the control group, but was not altered at lower Se levels.