[Effects of cereals from Kaschin-Beck's disease endemic area on fibrillogenesis in vitro of cartilage type II collagen in rats].

In this feeding trial, rats were fed with diets of (a) cereals from Kaschin-Beck's Disease (KBD) endemic area, (b) Sesupplemented cereals from the area as above, (c) cereals from non-KBD endemic area. The purpose of this experiment was to study the effects of cereals from KBD endemic area and Se on the kinetics of formation of cartilage type II collagen fibril, the stability and ultrastructure of fibrils formed in vitro. The results indicated that feeding of low-selenium cereals from KBD endemic area may cause decelaration of rats cartilage type II collagen fibrillogenesis, reduction of stability of fibril, diminishing of fibril diameters, and increase or decrease of fibril banding periods. Sesupplemented cereals from KBD endemic area partially rectified the pathologic changes mentioned above. These observations are important for further study on the etiology and pathology of KBD.