Selenium in blood and human tissues

Abstract Instrumental radioactivation analysis was used to determine amounts of selenium bound to the plasma and cell fractions of the blood of 254 normal individuals. Variations with time, age, sex and hematocrit were investigated. Analysis of sub-fractions of plasma and cells indicated the highest selenium concentration in the plasma α- and β-globulins. The selenium content of human tissues was determined for two individuals. Attempts were made to correlate blood selenium levels with a few cases of selected diseases and traumatic states.