ORIGINAL PAPER Ameliorating effect of selenium on chromium (VI)-induced oxidative damage in the brain of adult rats Nejla Soudani & Afef Troudi & Ibtissem Ben Amara & Hanen Bouaziz & Tahia Boudawara & Najiba Zeghal Received: 18 July 2011 / Accepted: 25 January 2012 / Published online: 21 February 2012 # University of Navarra 2012 Abstract Chromium is known for its wide toxic man- ifestations. This experiment aims to evaluate the effect of selenium against oxidative stress induced by chro- mium in the cerebrum and cerebellum. Female Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups of six each: group I served as controls which received the standard diet; group II received drinking water K 2 Cr 2 O 7 alone (700 ppm); group III received both K 2 Cr 2 O 7 and Se (0.5 mg Na 2 SeO 3 /kg of diet); and group IV received Se (0.5 mg/kg of diet) for 3 weeks. The exposure of rats to K 2 Cr 2 O 7 promoted oxidative stress in the cerebrum and cerebellum with an increase in malondialdehyde and a decrease of nonenzymatic antioxidant levels such as glutathione, nonprotein thi- ol, and vitamin C. An increase of enzyme activities like catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase activities was also observed. Acetylcholin- esterase activity was inhibited after treatment with K 2 Cr 2 O 7 . Co-administration of Se restored the param- eters cited above. The histopathological findings con- firmed the biochemical results. Keywords Selenium . Potassium dichromate . Rat . Neurotoxicity . Histopathological studies Introduction Heavy metal pollution has increased considerably worldwide as a result of high industrial activities since the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Among them, chromium (Cr) is released into the en- vironment and results from the human activities at stationary point sources in seven countries: South Africa, India, Kazakhstan, Zimbabwe, Finland, Brazil, and Turkey. Although the USA is not a primary pro- ducer of chromium, it is one of the world’ s leading importers and producers of chromium compounds. The primary route of exposure to this metal is inhala- tion. However, additional potential modes include oral ingestion of contaminated water or direct dermal con- tact with products manufactured using chromium such as pressure-treated wood. Chromium compounds Cr (VI) have various industrial applications, including tanning, corrosion inhibition, plating, glassware- cleaning solutions, safety match manufacturing, metal finishing, and pigments. Indeed, high concentrations of chromium (40–50,000 ppm) have been reported in the effluents of these industries [30]. At least 386 of J Physiol Biochem (2012) 68:397–409 DOI 10.1007/s13105-012-0152-4 Ibtissem Ben Amara and Afef Troudi contributed equally to this work. N. Soudani : A. Troudi : I. B. Amara : H. Bouaziz : N. Zeghal (*) Animal Physiology Laboratory UR/08-73, Faculty of Sciences, University of Sfax, BP1171, 3000 Sfax, Tunisia e-mail: najiba.zeghal@tunet.tn T. Boudawara Anatomopathology Laboratory, CHU Habib Bourguiba, University of Sfax, 3029 Sfax, Tunisia