The purpose of this work was to measure the amounts of selected mineral elements (sodium, calcium, iron, selenium, magnesium, zinc, copper, and manganese) in the liver of Wistar rats and evaluate possible correlations between the levels of these minerals and the lipid metabolism in the studied animals. Three experimental groups each containing six Wistar rats were designed. Each group was fed a different diet. The control group was fed a diet prepared with fresh soybean oil and named control group--CG. The second group (named experimental group B--EGB) and third group (named experimental group C--EGC) were fed a diet containing soybean oil that had been used to fry different foods for four or ten cycles, respectively. The mineral elements in Wistar rat livers were measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). Only the elements calcium and selenium differed significantly between the control and experimental groups. There was a significant reduction of 33% for Ca and 41% for Se in the EGB in comparison to the control group. The reduction in mineral concentration, especially Se, is the result of interactions with fatty acid metabolism. The animals in the EGC exhibited more intracytoplasmic accumulation of fat and more intense vasodilatation, in relation to the other groups. Collectively, evidence hereby collected suggests that impaired dietary lipid quality in otherwise balanced diets can reduce hepatic Se levels and potentially harm liver function.
Keywords: Fatty acids; Liver; Selenium; Wistar rats.